Point layout system using single laser transmitter

ABSTRACT

A laser controller having an electronic distance measuring instrument and a laser light transmitter creating a vertical laser plane is used with a remote controller and a movable target for point layout tasks. The electronic distance measurer and laser transmitter are mounted on the same vertical pivot axis. Once the system is set-up for a particular jobsite, the laser plane can be aimed at a specific point of interest on the jobsite floor, and a visible laser light line will then appear on the floor, from the laser controller, all the way to that point of interest. The distance measuring instrument is aimed along the same heading as the laser plane, and it gives the distance to the movable target, which is moved along the visible laser light line, until reaching the specified distance, and thereby find the point of interest.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 62/447,078, titled “POINT LAYOUT SYSTEM USINGSINGLE LASER TRANSMITTER,” filed on Jan. 17, 2017.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The technology disclosed herein relates generally to layout “surveying”equipment and is particularly directed to a two-dimension layout systemof the type which identifies points and their coordinates, and transfersidentified points on a surface to other surfaces in a verticaldirection. An embodiment is specifically disclosed using a single lasercontroller having a laser light transmitter that creates a verticallaser plane, an electronic distance measuring instrument, and a remotecontroller to control certain functions, with a movable target for usewith the electronic distance measuring instrument. The laser lighttransmitter and the electronic distance measuring instrument are mountedon a rotatable platform that can be rotated to any azimuth direction (or“heading”), and then the laser transmitter will produce a “static”(non-moving) vertical laser plane at that desired heading. Preferablythe laser transmitter includes a self-leveling capability, with arotation axis about the azimuth, and emits a substantially vertical(plumb) laser plane output (as a fan beam or a rotating laser line).

The laser controller used in this technology is a simplified and reducedcost laser based layout system that is intended to aid in the placementof wall tracks and/or framed wall structures for the construction ofsteel frame buildings and possibly residential structures. Low cost andease of use are forefront to the overall design criteria, which isdirected to a system that needs only a single user for controlling theremote controller, while also moving the target to a correct location onthe physical jobsite floor. In the illustrated embodiment, theelectronic distance measuring instrument comprises a laser distancemeter (LDM) that is mounted on the same vertical pivot axis as the lasertransmitter that emits a fan beam.

Once the system is set up for a particular jobsite, the laser fan beamcan then be aimed at a specific point of interest on the physicaljobsite floor, and a visible laser light line will then appear along thefloor from the laser controller, all the way to that point of interestand beyond, if there is no obstruction on the floor to block the laserlight line. This vertical laser fan beam is a “static” plane of laserlight energy; it is not a continually moving “dynamic” laser beam suchas that produced by some conventional surveying or layout systems. Evenif the vertical laser plane is produced by a rotating laser beam, thatlaser plane nevertheless is “static” in effect, because it rotates in asingle (static) vertical laser plane, and it does not jump around allover the jobsite, as do the “dynamic” conventional systems. The laserdistance meter will be aimed along the same azimuth as the verticallaser plane, so that the LDM will always be able to give the correctdistance along that azimuth, throughout any point layout procedures.

Once the laser plane has been “aimed” at a particular point of interest,the typical action of the user will be to view the laser light line onthe jobsite floor and to follow that laser light line with the movabletarget, while monitoring the distance between the laser controller andthe movable target (as determined by the LDM). The user can either viewa displayed readout (or light) on the remote controller, or view anindicating lamp on the laser controller, to discover when the user isapproaching the correct distance to the point of interest, along thatlaser light line.

Optionally, the remote controller could emanate an audible sound forthat purpose, perhaps at a different pitch, or at a different rate ofbeeping, as the correct distance to the point of interest is beingreached. As another option, the laser controller could flash the visiblewavelength light fan beam, perhaps at a varying flashing rate as thecorrect distance to the point of interest is being reached. When theuser has reached the point of interest with the movable target, theremote controller will so indicate (as will the lamp on the lasercontroller), and the user can then place a mark on the physical jobsitefloor along the laser light line, for future use as a visible indicationof the correct spot of that point of interest.

If the target is oriented plumb, which is recommended, the laser fanbeam will produce an “L-mark” on the combination of the jobsite floorsurface and the target surface. The jobsite floor surface will exhibit ahorizontal laser light line that is in the correct azimuth directionfrom the laser controller, and the target surface will exhibit avertical laser light line that is at the correct distance (to a point ofinterest, or to a control point). The intersection of the L-shaped lightlines will be at the elbow of the “L-mark” and further, this L-markintersection will be located precisely at the point of interest, forexample, that is to be laid out.

To lay out multiple points on a jobsite, the user could use a stick RAM(e.g., a Flash memory chip) to store the coordinates of the points ofinterest to be laid out. The stick RAM could be inserted into a USB porton the tablet (i.e., the remote controller), and the software on thetablet could then automatically send a command to the laser controllerto direct the laser fan beam to the heading for the first point ofinterest on the user's point list. After each point of interest has beenmarked, the user could enter that status on the tablet's input circuit(e.g., on a keypad, or on a touchscreen display, of the tablet), andthen the remote controller could send a command to the laser controllerto now aim at the next point of interest on the layout point list. Thelaser controller could then automatically rotate the laser fan beam tothe correct heading for that next point of interest, and so on, untilall points of interest on the layout point list for that particularportion of the jobsite floor have been laid out. The software could beallowed to automatically select the order in which the various points ofinterest are to be laid out, or the user could make that selectionmanually, and thereby command the remote controller to create the layoutpoint list in the order that is selected by the user.

As an alternative methodology, (using the Internet or other network) theuser could access a remote data file that is stored in the cloud, or inthe memory of a separate computer. This data file could be a CAD filethat contains a virtual jobsite floor plan, for example, and once it wasdownloaded to the remote controller, that data file could show agraphical representation of the jobsite floor plan (in at least twodimensions) on the display monitor (a visual display screen) of theremote controller, while also showing the various known points ofinterest that are to be laid out by the user. With appropriate software,the user could touch the remote controller touchscreen right on one ofthe displayed points of interest, and the laser controller could then becommanded to automatically rotate the fan beam to aim at that specificpoint of interest, literally showing the way for the user to move tothat point of interest, with a laser light line along the physicaljobsite floor.

Another alternative methodology is to provide a simplified lasercontroller that uses a laser transmitter that produces a vertical laserfan beam, but does not require any type of electronic distance measuringinstrument. In this alternative system, the laser transmitter is aimedat control points or at points of interest, similarly to the systemsdescribed above, but the actual distance measurements are performedmanually, by using a tape measure, for example. This alternative systemis still quite easy to use, because the user only needs to follow thevisible laser light line that appears on the physical jobsite floorsurface while extending the tape measure to the physical spot whereeither the control point, or the point of interest, is located.

Another alternative embodiment is to provide a separate laser receiverfor detecting the laser light fan beam from the laser controller. Thiscould be useful in “bright light” situations, in which the sunlight isso intense that a visible wavelength laser plane would be difficult tosee. A laser receiver could be mounted to a movable accessory cart in amanner so that the photosensor is running horizontally (rather thanvertically, as in a laser receiver used as an elevation sensor). Whenthe laser plane impacts the photosensor, the laser receiver can providean audible and/or visual indication of “LEFT” or “RIGHT,” until the usermoves the laser receiver's “null” point to the exact position of thelaser plane. When that occurs, the laser receiver can provide an audibleand/or visual indication of “ON AZIMUTH,” which would be a distinctlydifferent sound or light.

The use of the separate laser receiver also allows for a greaterdistance between the laser controller and the laser receiver, when thelaser light plane becomes less intense at the target screen and laserreceiver. Additionally, an invisible light laser transmitter could beused along with the laser receiver on the accessory cart.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

None.

BACKGROUND

A common method in the conventional art for locating a point of intereston a jobsite is through the use of a “total station” or a “robotic totalstation.” A total station is an electronic/optical instrument with theability to precisely orient itself in rotation and provide distancemeasurements. Once the instrument is set up and oriented to a jobsitework area, through the use of several known coordinates on the jobsite,any point of interest can be located.

For example, a robotic total station has the capability to trackautomatically a retro-prism. Referring now to FIG. 16, such a prism 3 ismounted to a pole 4 along with a robotic total station controller 5, forcontrolling the entire system. After a point of interest is selected(typically from a point list), the robotic total station 1 will followthe human user 2 with the prism 3 and pole 4 as the user approaches thedesired location for that point of interest. A common procedure would gosomething like the following:

-   -   (1) The user selects the point of interest 7 from the point list        on the controller 5.    -   (2) The user decides to move in a direction thought to be toward        the point of interest.    -   (3) As the user moves, the total station 1 tracks and measures        the azimuth angle and distance to the prism 3. The position of        the pole 4 can be calculated from the measured angle and        distance to the prism 3.    -   (4) Since there is no visual indication on the jobsite as to        where the actual point is, the user may (inadvertently) choose        to go in a direction that moves farther from the desired point        of interest 7. The robotic total station 1 will display that to        the user on the controller 5, and the user will have to choose a        new direction so as to close in on the final (desired) location.    -   (5) As the user closes in on the point of interest 7, he will        set the pole 4 at a location he feels is near to the final        location, and will carefully level the pole while observing the        controller 5 display for an indication of the actual pole        location.    -   (6) Invariably the pole 4 location is off a little, and the user        will then move the pole 4 in a direction that is felt to close        in on the final (correct) location, re-level the pole 4 and        observe the new pole location as calculated by the robotic total        station 1. It must be emphasized that the correct heading 6        (i.e., the correct azimuth) that the user 2 should be “looking        for” cannot be seen visually. All he has are distance and angle        readouts on the display of the controller 5.    -   (7) The process is repeated until the pole 4 location is close        enough to satisfy the user.

A non-robotic total station can also be used for locating points ofinterest on a jobsite work area. For example, the use of a non-robotictotal station to locate points of interest on a jobsite would require anadditional person behind the instrument (i.e., the total station). Thisadded person is needed to manually view the pole 4 and prism 3 throughthe telescope of the total station and, using hand signals, to directthe user 2 holding the pole 4 to move left or right to stay on thecorrect heading. Otherwise, the procedure to converge onto the desiredpoint of interest would follow a similar procedure as that outlinedabove for the robotic total station.

The difficulty for performing the above, seemingly simple, tasks is hardto imagine, unless one has actually done those tasks. It is especiallydifficult for the user who is walking around with the pole 4, trying toget the prism 3 at the correct, precise, location of that desired pointof interest, while also holding the pole in a vertical (plumb)orientation. Of course, such procedures become more routine after manyrepetitions, but it is still a labor-intensive and exacting functionthat often must be performed outdoors, while exposed to the weather andbothersome insects.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, it is an advantage to provide a point layout system for useon jobsite floors that uses a single laser controller with a rotatablelaser light transmitter that creates a vertical laser plane and anelectronic distance measuring instrument that aims along the samevertical laser plane, and a remote controller to control certainfunctions, with a movable target for use with the electronic distancemeasuring instrument.

It is another advantage to provide a point layout system in which alaser controller emits a rotatable vertical laser plane that can beaimed at a specific point of interest on the jobsite floor, and avisible laser light line will then appear on the floor from the lasercontroller all the way to that point of interest and beyond. A laserdistance meter (LDM) will be aimed along the same heading as thevertical laser plane, so that LDM will always be able to give thecorrect distance along that azimuth, throughout any point layoutprocedures.

It is yet another advantage to provide a laser controller with arotatable laser light transmitter that creates a vertical laser planeand an electronic distance measuring instrument that aims along the samevertical laser plane, and a remote controller to control certainfunctions. A human user views a visible laser light line on the jobsitefloor (produced by the vertical laser plane) and follows that laserlight line with a movable target screen, while monitoring the distancebetween the laser controller and the point of interest on the displaymonitor of the remote controller. When the user has reached the point ofinterest, the remote controller and/or the laser controller will soindicate, and the user can then place a mark on the jobsite floor alongthe laser light line and right at (or near) the bottom edge of thetarget screen, for future use as a visible indication of the correctspot of that point of interest. The surface of the target screen willclearly show the laser fan beam as a highly visible vertical laser lightline, usually all the way down to its bottom edge (proximal to—i.e., ator near—the floor level). The combination of the vertical laser lightline on the target screen and the horizontal laser light line on thejobsite floor will produce a visible “L-mark,” directly at, or proximalto, the point of interest.

It is still another advantage to provide a laser controller with arotatable laser light transmitter that creates a vertical laser planeand an electronic distance measuring instrument that aims along the samevertical laser plane, and a remote controller that is mounted on amovable accessory cart. The accessory cart also holds a target screennear floor level, for use with the electronic distance measuringinstrument. To find a point of interest, the human user steers theaccessory cart so as to follow a visible laser light line produced bythe vertical laser plane, until reaching the correct distance, asindicated by the remote controller and/or the laser controller. The usercan then place a mark on the jobsite floor along the laser light line,and right at (or near) the bottom edge of the target screen. The surfaceof the target screen will clearly show the laser fan beam as a highlyvisible vertical laser light line, usually all the way down to itsbottom edge (proximal to—i.e., at or near—the floor level). Thecombination of the vertical laser light line on the target screen andthe horizontal laser light line on the jobsite floor will produce avisible “L-mark,” directly at, or proximal to, the point of interest.

It is a further advantage to provide a laser controller with a rotatablelaser light transmitter that creates a vertical laser plane and anelectronic distance measuring instrument that aims along the samevertical laser plane, and a remote controller to control certainfunctions. The laser controller is readily set up with the jobsite floorplan coordinate system by aiming the vertical laser plane at a knowncontrol point of the jobsite floor surface, which is easilyaccomplished, because the vertical laser plane produces a very visiblelaser light line on the jobsite surface that can be easily aimeddirectly at the control point. Once the vertical laser plane is aimingat the correct heading, the human user places a target screen right atthe control point, and commands the electronic distance measuringinstrument to take a sample measurement, and that distance and headingbecome known data for the overall control system (which the remotecontroller will keep track of). The same steps are repeated for a secondknown control point on the jobsite floor, and once all the distance andangle data is entered into the remote controller (along with the jobsitefloor plan coordinates of the two control points), then the exactposition of the laser controller can be calculated, in terms of thisjobsite's floor plan coordinates. The laser controller can then proceedto lay out multiple points of interest on that jobsite surface.

It is a yet further advantage to provide a laser controller with arotatable laser light transmitter that creates a vertical laser plane,and a remote controller to perform and control certain functions. Afterbeing placed on a jobsite floor surface and being set up in a jobsitefloor plan, the laser controller can be commanded to aim its verticallaser plane at a point of interest, and thereby produce a visible laserlight line along the jobsite floor surface that visually directs a humanuser to the specified physical point of interest. The user can view thedisplay monitor on the remote controller to learn the appropriatedistance between the laser controller and that point of interest. Theuser can stretch a tape measure from the laser controller, along thelaser light line, for the specified distance, and that physical point ofinterest will have been found, which then can be marked on the jobsitefloor.

Additional advantages and other novel features will be set forth in partin the description that follows and in part will become apparent tothose skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may belearned with the practice of the technology disclosed herein.

To achieve the foregoing and other advantages, and in accordance withone aspect, a layout and point transfer system is provided, whichcomprises: (a) a laser controller, including: (i) a laser lighttransmitter that emits a substantially vertical plane of visible laserlight, the laser light transmitter being rotatable about a substantiallyvertical axis; (ii) an electronic distance measuring instrument that isrotatable about the substantially vertical axis; (iii) an electronicangle measuring instrument; and (iv) a first processing circuit, a firstmemory circuit including instructions executable by the first processingcircuit, a first communications circuit, and a first input/outputinterface circuit; (b) a remote controller, including: (i) a secondprocessing circuit, a second memory circuit including instructionsexecutable by the second processing circuit, a second communicationscircuit, a display monitor, a user-operated input circuit, and a secondinput/output interface circuit, wherein the laser controller and theremote controller communicate with one another by use of the first andsecond communications circuits; and (c) a movable target screen,comprising: (i) a surface that is at least partially reflective toemissions from the electronic distance measuring instrument; wherein:(d) the first and second processing circuits are programmed withsoftware to perform functions of: (i) using the laser light transmitter,emitting the substantially vertical plane of visible laser light,thereby creating a visible laser light line along a jobsite surface;(ii) using the electronic angle measuring instrument, aiming the laserlight transmitter in a predetermined heading so that the visible laserlight line crosses a predetermined point of interest on the jobsitesurface; (iii) using the electronic distance measuring instrument,monitoring a physical distance between the electronic distance measuringinstrument and the movable target screen, as the movable target screenis moved along the visible laser light line; and (iv) if the movabletarget screen is moved to a predetermined distance along the visiblelaser light line, then at least one of (A) the laser controller and (B)the remote controller provides a predetermined indication to show an ONPOINT status, which corresponds to a physical location of thepredetermined point of interest on the jobsite surface.

In accordance with another aspect, a method for using a layout and pointtransfer system is provided, in which the method comprises the followingsteps: (a) providing a laser controller, which includes: (i) a laserlight transmitter that emits a substantially vertical plane of visiblelaser light, the laser light transmitter being rotatable about asubstantially vertical axis; (ii) an electronic distance measuringinstrument that is rotatable about the substantially vertical axis;(iii) an electronic angle measuring instrument; and (iv) a firstprocessing circuit, a first memory circuit including instructionsexecutable by the first processing circuit, a first communicationscircuit, and a first input/output interface circuit; (b) providing aremote controller, which includes: a second processing circuit, a secondmemory circuit including instructions executable by the secondprocessing circuit, a second communications circuit, a display monitor,a user-operated input circuit, and a second input/output interfacecircuit, wherein the laser controller and the remote controllercommunicate with one another by use of the first and secondcommunications circuits; (c) placing the laser controller on a jobsitesurface in a work area; (d) finding, on the jobsite surface, apredetermined point of interest, by: (i) using the laser lighttransmitter, emitting the substantially vertical plane of visible laserlight, thereby creating a visible laser light line along the jobsitesurface; (ii) using the electronic angle measuring instrument, aimingthe laser light transmitter in a predetermined heading so that thevisible laser light line crosses the predetermined point of interest onthe jobsite surface; (iii) using the electronic distance measuringinstrument, monitoring a physical distance between the electronicdistance measuring instrument and a movable target screen, as themovable target screen is moved along the visible laser light line; and(iv) if the movable target screen is moved to a predetermined distancealong the visible laser light line, then providing a predeterminedindication to show an ON POINT status, which corresponds to a physicallocation of the predetermined point of interest on the jobsite surface.

In accordance with yet another aspect, a method for setting up a layoutand point transfer system is provided, in which the method comprises thefollowing steps: (a) providing a laser controller, which includes: (i) alaser light transmitter that emits a substantially vertical plane ofvisible laser light, the laser light transmitter being rotatable about asubstantially vertical axis; (ii) an electronic distance measuringinstrument that is rotatable about the substantially vertical axis;(iii) an electronic angle measuring instrument; and (iv) a firstprocessing circuit, a first memory circuit including instructionsexecutable by the first processing circuit, a first communicationscircuit, and a first input/output interface circuit; (b) providing aremote controller, which includes: a second processing circuit, a secondmemory circuit including instructions executable by the secondprocessing circuit, a second communications circuit, a display monitor,a user-operated input circuit, and a second input/output interfacecircuit, wherein the laser controller and the remote controllercommunicate with one another by use of the first and secondcommunications circuits; (c) placing the laser controller on a jobsitesurface in a work area; (d) identifying a first control point on thejobsite surface, then: (i) using the laser light transmitter, emittingthe substantially vertical plane of visible laser light, therebycreating a visible laser light line along the jobsite surface; (ii)aiming the laser light transmitter so that the visible laser light linecrosses the first control point; (iii) using the electronic anglemeasuring instrument, determining a first heading to the first controlpoint; (iv) placing a target screen at the first control point; and (v)using the electronic distance measuring instrument, determining a firstphysical distance between the electronic distance measuring instrumentand the target screen; (e) identifying a second control point on thejobsite surface, then: (i) using the laser light transmitter, emittingthe substantially vertical plane of visible laser light, therebycreating a visible laser light line along the jobsite surface; (ii)aiming the laser light transmitter so that the visible laser light linecrosses the second control point; (iii) using the electronic anglemeasuring instrument, determining a second heading to the second controlpoint; (iv) placing a target screen at the second control point; and (v)using the electronic distance measuring instrument, determining a secondphysical distance between the electronic distance measuring instrumentand the target screen; and (f) using jobsite coordinates of (i) thefirst control point and (ii) the second control point, and using (iii)the first physical distance, (iv) the second physical distance, (v) thefirst heading data, and (vi) the second heading data, determining, interms of jobsite coordinates, a position of the laser controller on thejobsite surface.

In accordance with still another aspect, a portable layout cartaccessory is provided, which comprises: (a) a remote controller,including: a processing circuit, a memory circuit including instructionsexecutable by the processing circuit, a wireless communications circuit,a display monitor, a user-operated input circuit, and an input/outputinterface circuit; (b) a target screen, comprising: a surface that is atleast partially reflective to at least one of (i) electromagneticemissions and (ii) sonic emissions; and (c) a movable chassis with atleast one mounting bracket for holding at least one of (i) the remotecontroller and (ii) the target screen; wherein: the display monitoroutputs a visible message to show an ON POINT status, if the targetscreen is moved to a predetermined point of interest on a jobsitesurface.

In accordance with yet a further aspect, a method for setting up alayout and point transfer system is provided, in which the methodcomprises the following steps: (a) providing a laser controller, whichincludes: (i) a laser light transmitter that emits a substantiallyvertical plane of visible laser light, the laser light transmitter beingrotatable about a substantially vertical axis; (ii) an electronic anglemeasuring instrument; and (iii) a first processing circuit, a firstmemory circuit including instructions executable by the first processingcircuit, a first communications circuit, and a first input/outputinterface circuit; (b) providing a remote controller, which includes: asecond processing circuit, a second memory circuit includinginstructions executable by the second processing circuit, a secondcommunications circuit, a display monitor, a user-operated inputcircuit, and a second input/output interface circuit, wherein the lasercontroller and the remote controller communicate with one another by useof the first and second communications circuits; (c) placing the lasercontroller on a jobsite surface in a work area; (d) finding, on thejobsite surface, a predetermined point of interest, by: (i) using thelaser light transmitter, emitting the substantially vertical plane ofvisible laser light, thereby creating a visible laser light line alongthe jobsite surface; (ii) using the electronic angle measuringinstrument, aiming the laser light transmitter in a predeterminedheading so that the visible laser light line crosses the predeterminedpoint of interest on the jobsite surface; (iii) using the remotecontroller, displaying a numeric distance between the laser controllerand the predetermined point of interest; and (iv) placing a tape measurealong the visible laser light line and measuring a physical distancefrom the laser controller until reaching the numeric distance that isdisplayed on the remote controller, which corresponds to a physicallocation of the predetermined point of interest on the jobsite surface.

In accordance with a further aspect, a layout and point transfer systemis provided, which comprises: (a) a laser controller, including: (i) alaser light transmitter that emits a substantially vertical plane ofvisible wavelength laser light, the laser light transmitter beingrotatable about a substantially vertical axis; (ii) an electronicdistance measuring instrument that is rotatable about the substantiallyvertical axis; (iii) an electronic angle measuring instrument; and (iv)a first processing circuit, a first memory circuit includinginstructions executable by the first processing circuit, a firstcommunications circuit, and a first input/output interface circuit; (b)a remote controller, including: (i) a second processing circuit, asecond memory circuit including instructions executable by the secondprocessing circuit, a second communications circuit, a display monitor,a user-operated input circuit, and a second input/output interfacecircuit, wherein the laser controller and the remote controllercommunicate with one another by use of the first and secondcommunications circuits; and (c) a movable target screen, comprising:(i) a surface that is at least partially reflective to emissions fromthe electronic distance measuring instrument; wherein: (d) the first andsecond processing circuits are programmed with software, so as: (i)using the laser light transmitter, to emit the substantially verticalplane of visible wavelength laser light; (ii) using the electronic anglemeasuring instrument, to aim the laser light transmitter in apredetermined heading so that the substantially vertical plane ofvisible wavelength laser light is aimed at a predetermined point ofinterest on the jobsite surface; (iii) using the electronic distancemeasuring instrument, to monitor a physical distance between theelectronic distance measuring instrument and the movable target screen,as the movable target screen is moved along the substantially verticalplane of visible wavelength laser light; and (iv) if the movable targetscreen is moved to a predetermined distance along the substantiallyvertical plane of visible wavelength laser light, then at least one of(A) the laser controller and (B) the remote controller provides apredetermined indication to show an ON POINT status, which correspondsto a physical location of the predetermined point of interest on thejobsite surface.

In accordance with a further aspect, a method for using a layout andpoint transfer system is provided, in which the method comprises thefollowing steps: (a) providing a laser controller, which includes: (i) alaser light transmitter that emits a substantially vertical plane ofvisible wavelength laser light, the laser light transmitter beingrotatable about a substantially vertical axis; (ii) an electronicdistance measuring instrument that is rotatable about the substantiallyvertical axis; (iii) an electronic angle measuring instrument; and (iv)a first processing circuit, a first memory circuit includinginstructions executable by the first processing circuit, a firstcommunications circuit, and a first input/output interface circuit; (b)providing a remote controller, which includes: a second processingcircuit, a second memory circuit including instructions executable bythe second processing circuit, a second communications circuit, adisplay monitor, a user-operated input circuit, and a secondinput/output interface circuit, wherein the laser controller and theremote controller communicate with one another by use of the first andsecond communications circuits; (c) placing the laser controller on ajobsite surface in a work area; (d) finding, on the jobsite surface, apredetermined point of interest, by: (i) using the laser lighttransmitter, emitting the substantially vertical plane of visiblewavelength laser light, thereby creating a visible laser light linealong the jobsite surface; (ii) using the electronic angle measuringinstrument, aiming the laser light transmitter in a predeterminedheading so that the vertical plane of visible wavelength laser lightcrosses the predetermined point of interest on the jobsite surface;(iii) using the electronic distance measuring instrument, monitoring aphysical distance between the electronic distance measuring instrumentand a movable target screen, as the movable target screen is moved alongthe visible laser light line; and (iv) if the movable target screen ismoved to a predetermined distance along the visible laser light line,then providing a predetermined indication to show an ON POINT status,which corresponds to a physical location of the predetermined point ofinterest on the jobsite surface.

In accordance with a further aspect, a method for setting up a layoutand point transfer system is provided, in which the method comprises thefollowing steps: (a) providing a laser controller, which includes: (i) alaser light transmitter that emits a substantially vertical plane ofvisible wavelength laser light, the laser light transmitter beingrotatable about a substantially vertical axis; (ii) an electronicdistance measuring instrument that is rotatable about the substantiallyvertical axis; (iii) an electronic angle measuring instrument; and (iv)a first processing circuit, a first memory circuit includinginstructions executable by the first processing circuit, a firstcommunications circuit, and a first input/output interface circuit; (b)providing a remote controller, which includes: a second processingcircuit, a second memory circuit including instructions executable bythe second processing circuit, a second communications circuit, adisplay monitor, a user-operated input circuit, and a secondinput/output interface circuit, wherein the laser controller and theremote controller communicate with one another by use of the first andsecond communications circuits; (c) placing the laser controller on ajobsite surface in a work area; (d) identifying a first control point onthe jobsite surface, then: (i) using the laser light transmitter,emitting the substantially vertical plane of visible wavelength laserlight, thereby creating a visible laser light line along the jobsitesurface; (ii) aiming the laser light transmitter so that the verticalplane of visible wavelength laser light crosses the first control point;(iii) using the electronic angle measuring instrument, determining afirst heading to the first control point; (iv) placing at least onemovable target screen at the first control point; and (v) using theelectronic distance measuring instrument, determining a first physicaldistance between the electronic distance measuring instrument and thetarget screen; (e) identifying a second control point on the jobsitesurface, then: (i) using the laser light transmitter, emitting thesubstantially vertical plane of visible wavelength laser light, therebycreating a visible laser light line along the jobsite surface; (ii)aiming the laser light transmitter so that the vertical plane of visiblewavelength laser light crosses the second control point; (iii) using theelectronic angle measuring instrument, determining a second heading tothe second control point; (iv) placing the at least one movable targetscreen at the second control point; and (v) using the electronicdistance measuring instrument, determining a second physical distancebetween the electronic distance measuring instrument and the targetscreen; and (f) using jobsite coordinates of (i) the first control pointand (ii) the second control point, and using (iii) the first physicaldistance, (iv) the second physical distance, (v) the first heading data,and (vi) the second heading data, determining, in terms of jobsitecoordinates, a position of the laser controller on the jobsite surface.

In accordance with a further aspect, a method for using a layout andpoint transfer system is provided, in which the method comprises thefollowing steps: (a) providing a laser controller, which includes: (i) alaser light transmitter that emits a substantially vertical plane ofvisible wavelength laser light, the laser light transmitter beingrotatable about a substantially vertical axis; (ii) an electronic anglemeasuring instrument; and (iii) a first processing circuit, a firstmemory circuit including instructions executable by the first processingcircuit, a first communications circuit, and a first input/outputinterface circuit; (b) providing a remote controller, which includes: asecond processing circuit, a second memory circuit includinginstructions executable by the second processing circuit, a secondcommunications circuit, a display monitor, a user-operated inputcircuit, and a second input/output interface circuit, wherein the lasercontroller and the remote controller communicate with one another by useof the first and second communications circuits; (c) placing the lasercontroller on a jobsite surface in a work area; (d) after the lasercontroller has been registered with a virtual floor plan for the jobsitesurface; (e) finding, on the jobsite surface, a predetermined point ofinterest, by: (i) using the laser light transmitter, emitting thesubstantially vertical plane of visible wavelength laser light, therebycreating a visible laser light line along the jobsite surface; (ii)using the electronic angle measuring instrument, aiming the laser lighttransmitter in a predetermined heading so that the vertical plane ofvisible wavelength laser light crosses the predetermined point ofinterest on the jobsite surface; (iii) using the remote controller,displaying a numeric distance between the laser controller and thepredetermined point of interest; and (iv) placing a tape measure alongthe visible laser light line and measuring a physical distance from thelaser controller until reaching the numeric distance that is displayedon the remote controller, which corresponds to a physical location ofthe predetermined point of interest on the jobsite surface.

In accordance with a further aspect, a portable layout cart accessory isprovided, which comprises: (a) a remote controller, including: aprocessing circuit, a memory circuit including instructions executableby the processing circuit, a wireless communications circuit, a displaymonitor, a user-operated input circuit, and an input/output interfacecircuit; (b) a target screen, comprising: a surface that is at leastpartially reflective to at least one of (i) electromagnetic emissionsand (ii) sonic emissions; and (c) a movable chassis with at least onemounting bracket for holding at least one of (i) the remote controllerand (ii) the target screen; wherein: the display monitor outputs avisible message to show an ON POINT status, if the target screen ismoved to a predetermined point of interest on a jobsite surface.

In accordance with a yet further aspect, a layout and point transfersystem is provided, which comprises: (a) a laser controller, including:(i) a laser light transmitter that emits a substantially vertical planeof laser light, the laser light transmitter being rotatable about asubstantially vertical axis; (ii) an electronic distance measuringinstrument that is rotatable about the substantially vertical axis;(iii) an electronic angle measuring instrument; and (iv) a firstprocessing circuit, a first memory circuit including instructionsexecutable by the first processing circuit, a first communicationscircuit, and a first input/output interface circuit; (b) a remotecontroller, including: (i) a second processing circuit, a second memorycircuit including instructions executable by the second processingcircuit, a second communications circuit, a display monitor, auser-operated input circuit, and a second input/output interfacecircuit, wherein the laser controller and the remote controllercommunicate with one another by use of the first and secondcommunications circuits; and (c) a laser light detector system,including: (i) a movable target screen, comprising a surface that is atleast partially reflective to emissions from the electronic distancemeasuring instrument; (ii) a laser light receiver, comprising: a thirdprocessing circuit, a third memory circuit including instructionsexecutable by the third processing circuit, a third input/outputinterface circuit, and at least one photosensor that detects awavelength emitted by the laser light transmitter; wherein: (d) thefirst, second, and third processing circuits are configured to: (i)using the laser light transmitter, to emit the substantially verticalplane of laser light; (ii) using the electronic angle measuringinstrument, to aim the laser light transmitter in a predeterminedheading so that the substantially vertical plane of laser light is aimedat a predetermined point of interest on the jobsite surface; (iii) usingthe laser light receiver, to monitor an angular position of where thesubstantially vertical plane of laser light strikes the at least onephotosensor as the movable target screen is moved by a user, and toprovide a predetermined indication to indicate an ON AZIMUTH status ifthe laser light receiver is correctly positioned with respect to thesubstantially vertical plane of laser light; (iv) using the electronicdistance measuring instrument, to monitor a physical distance betweenthe electronic distance measuring instrument and the movable targetscreen, as the movable target screen is moved along the substantiallyvertical plane of laser light; and (v) if the movable target screen ismoved to a predetermined distance along the substantially vertical planeof laser light, then at least one of (A) the laser controller and (B)the remote controller provides a predetermined indication to indicate anON POINT status, which corresponds to a physical location of thepredetermined point of interest on the jobsite surface.

Still other advantages will become apparent to those skilled in this artfrom the following description and drawings wherein there is describedand shown a preferred embodiment in one of the best modes contemplatedfor carrying out the technology. As will be realized, the technologydisclosed herein is capable of other different embodiments, and itsseveral details are capable of modification in various, obvious aspectsall without departing from its principles. Accordingly, the drawings anddescriptions will be regarded as illustrative in nature and not asrestrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of thespecification illustrate several aspects of the technology disclosedherein, and together with the description and claims serve to explainthe principles of the technology. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of how a human user would use a movablefloor frame with a remote controller of a layout and point transfersystem, as constructed according the principles of the technologydisclosed herein, used for finding the location of a point of intereston a jobsite floor, after a laser controller has been set up(registered) on the floor plan.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing positions of physical control points andangles involved in registering the laser controller of FIG. 1 on ajobsite floor, using a setup routine according to a first method.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing positions of physical control points andangles involved in registering the laser controller of FIG. 1 on ajobsite floor, using a setup routine according to a second method.

FIG. 4 is a diagram plan view showing positions of physical points andangles involved in the procedure to find a point of interest, accordingto FIG. 1, using the laser controller of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of how a human user would set up thelayout and point transfer system of FIG. 1, using the setup routineaccording to the first method, as diagrammed in FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the major components of a laser controllerthat is used in the system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the major components of a remote controllerthat is used in the system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic view of a Hand-Operated Rolling Cart thatcarries a remote controller of the type illustrated in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic view of how a human user would use theHand-Operated Rolling Cart of FIG. 9 as part of a layout and pointtransfer system, as constructed according the principles of thetechnology disclosed herein, used for finding the location of a point ofinterest on a jobsite floor, after a laser controller has been set up(registered) on the floor plan.

FIG. 10 is a closeup diagrammatic view of a portion of FIG. 9, showingthe target screen portion of the Hand-Operated Rolling Cart.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart of certain steps performed during a set-uproutine, used in the system depicted in FIG. 1.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart of certain steps performed during a point layoutroutine, used in the system depicted in FIG. 1.

FIG. 13 is a plan view of an exemplary laser controller that is used inthe system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 14 is an elevational view in cross-section of the exemplary lasercontroller of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is diagrammatic view of how a human user would use analternative embodiment laser controller with a remote controller of alayout and point transfer system, as constructed according theprinciples of the technology disclosed herein, used for finding thelocation of a point of interest on a jobsite floor, after the lasercontroller has been set up (registered) on the floor plan.

FIG. 16 is a diagrammatic view of a conventional total station lasersystem that is known in the prior art, depicting its attempt to find theposition of a point of interest on a jobsite floor.

FIG. 17 is a diagrammatic view of how a human user would use a movablefloor frame with a remote controller of a layout and point transfersystem, as constructed according the principles of the technologydisclosed herein, used for finding the location of a point of intereston a jobsite floor, after a laser controller with a horizontal bottomedge light line has been set up (registered) on the floor plan.

FIG. 18 is a diagrammatic view of how a human user would use theHand-Operated Rolling Cart of FIG. 9 as part of a layout and pointtransfer system, as constructed according the principles of thetechnology disclosed herein, used for finding the location of a point ofinterest on a jobsite floor, after a laser controller with a horizontalbottom edge light line has been set up (registered) on the floor plan.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view from the front and above of a secondembodiment of an exemplary laser controller that is used in the systemof FIG. 1, showing the interior components without the housing.

FIG. 20 is a side elevational view of the laser controller of FIG. 19,showing the interior components without the housing.

FIG. 21 is perspective view from the side and above of the lasercontroller of FIG. 19, showing the housing, and showing the front of therotating turret on top.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view from the front and side of a secondembodiment of an exemplary movable accessory cart, showing details ofthe pivotable target screen.

FIG. 23 is front view, slightly in perspective, of the movable accessorycart of FIG. 22, again showing details of the pivotable target screen.

FIG. 24 is a perspective view from the front, side, and above of theentire movable accessory cart of FIG. 22.

FIG. 25 is front view of an alternative exemplary movable accessorycart, showing details of the pivotable target screen that has a laserreceiver mounted thereto.

FIG. 26 is a block diagram of the major components of a laser receiverthat is used in the alternative exemplary movable accessory cart of FIG.25, which can be used in the system of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferredembodiment, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like numerals indicate the same elements throughoutthe views.

It is to be understood that the technology disclosed herein is notlimited in its application to the details of construction and thearrangement of components set forth in the following description orillustrated in the drawings. The technology disclosed herein is capableof other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out invarious ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology andterminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should notbe regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or“having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the itemslisted thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.Unless limited otherwise, the terms “connected,” “coupled,” and“mounted,” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompassdirect and indirect connections, couplings, and mountings. In addition,the terms “connected” and “coupled” and variations thereof are notrestricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings.

The terms “first” and “second” preceding an element name, e.g., firstinlet, second inlet, etc., are used for identification purposes todistinguish between similar or related elements, results or concepts,and are not intended to necessarily imply order, nor are the terms“first” and “second” intended to preclude the inclusion of additionalsimilar or related elements, results or concepts, unless otherwiseindicated.

In addition, it should be understood that embodiments disclosed hereininclude both hardware and electronic components or modules that, forpurposes of discussion, may be illustrated and described as if themajority of the components were implemented solely in hardware.

However, one of ordinary skill in the art, and based on a reading ofthis detailed description, would recognize that, in at least oneembodiment, the electronic based aspects of the technology disclosedherein may be implemented in software. As such, it should be noted thata plurality of hardware and software-based devices, as well as aplurality of different structural components may be utilized toimplement the technology disclosed herein. Furthermore, if software isutilized, then the processing circuit that executes such software can beof a general purpose computer, while fulfilling all the functions thatotherwise might be executed by a special purpose computer that could bedesigned for specifically implementing this technology.

It will be understood that the term “circuit” as used herein canrepresent an actual electronic circuit, such as an integrated circuitchip (or a portion thereof), or it can represent a function that isperformed by a processing circuit, such as a microprocessor or an ASICthat includes a logic state machine or another form of processingelement (including a sequential processing circuit). A specific type ofcircuit could be an analog circuit or a digital circuit of some type,although such a circuit possibly could be implemented in software by alogic state machine or a sequential processor. In other words, if aprocessing circuit is used to perform a desired function used in thetechnology disclosed herein (such as a demodulation function), thenthere might not be a specific “circuit” that could be called a“demodulation circuit;” however, there would be a demodulation“function” that is performed by the software. All of these possibilitiesare contemplated by the inventors, and are within the principles of thetechnology when discussing a “circuit.”

Laser Controller

The basic system concept is generally illustrated in FIG. 1. There is asingle laser controller 20 that uses a laser transmitter 472 (see FIG.6) which outputs a vertical laser plane 134 that, when incident on thefloor, produces a visible laser light line 130 on the work surface 100.After completion of a setup procedure the laser controller 20 is able torotate a pivotable rotor portion on its pivot axis, so as to direct thevertical laser light plane 134 through a point of interest 140 on thejobsite's work surface 100. This action directly provides a visibleheading for the user and allows him to know that the location he isinterested in falls somewhere along that laser light line 130 on thejobsite floor 100.

The system also has the capability of measuring the distance between thetransmitter and a movable “target screen” located at the user, andhandled by the user. An electronic distance measuring instrument isprovided on the rotating rotor portion of the laser controller such thatit will always “aim” in the same azimuth direction (or “heading”) as thevertical laser plane is aiming. In a preferred embodiment, theelectronic distance measuring instrument comprises a laser distancemeter (also known as an “LDM”) that emits a narrow laser beam toward anintended target, and receives back some of that emitted laser beamenergy—this is a well-known device. Also, in a preferred embodiment, theLDM is mounted on the laser controller 20 such that it emits its laserbeam in a substantially horizontal direction, about six inches (152 mm)above the floor level.

In this illustrated embodiment, the laser controller 20 includes a laserdistance meter (“LDM”) 480 (see FIG. 6) that aims its measuring laserbeam 132 along the same azimuth as the vertical laser light plane (alsoreferred to as a laser “fan beam”) 134. As noted above, both the LDM 480and the laser plane transmitter 472 are mounted on the same pivotableportion of the laser controller 20, and the distance measuring module isintended to be located within the laser transmitter fan beam, and notonly rotates with the vertical laser plane 134, but has the laser 486used for the distance measurement aligned and coincident with the outputlaser plane used for the visual heading direction. Therefore, theselaser light-producing emitters are always aimed along the same azimuth(or “heading”).

To be more precise, the term “heading” can be relative; if the lasercontroller is placed on a surface without knowing any setup informationabout how it is oriented to a jobsite floor plan coordinate system, orhow it is oriented to the earth, still that laser controller will knowthe “heading” that its laser plane transmitter 472 is aimed at, becauseof its angle encoder 450 (see FIG. 6). However, that exact heading mayor may not be equivalent to an azimuth; it depends on whether or not thelaser controller has yet been leveled. Once leveled, the heading of thelaser plane transmitter 472 will be equivalent to an azimuth, but again,that can be a relative quantity that may not match up to the earth, orto a jobsite floor plan. Finally, once the laser controller has been setup with a jobsite floor plan coordinate system, then the heading of thelaser plane transmitter should match up to a true azimuth direction. Thesetting up of the laser controller 20 is discussed below in greaterdetail.

It will be understood that, as used in this description, the phrase“laser fan beam” includes other types of laser light producing productsthat are capable of creating a “laser plane” output. This specificallyincludes a transmitter that outputs a rotating laser beam, whicheffectively creates a laser light “plane” of multiple rotations of alaser beam.

When in use, the LDM 480 has the ability to measure the distance fromthe transmitter rotor spin axis to a target screen 50, which typicallyis located at the user 52. The LDM 480 thus can provide an accuratedistance measurement in real time to the laser controller 20, which inturn can provide that information to a tablet computer 300, which is theremote controller that is visible to the user. The target screen 50 mustbe at least partially reflective to the distance-measuring energy, sothat a portion of the laser light emitted by the LDM 480 will bereturned to the photosensor 488 of the LDM.

It will be understood that a different type of distance measuring device(DMD) could be used, rather than a laser distance meter. For example, asonic emitter or an ultrasonic emitter could be directed at the targetscreen, which would reflect a portion of the sonic energy, and adistance could be determined, much like SONAR devices. A certain amountof accuracy would be lost, of course, compared to a light-energy baseddistance measuring instrument, such as an LDM.

If an indicating lamp 490 is provided on the laser controller 20, thenit can provide a flashing indication as to whether the user has movedthe target screen 50 to a position that is too short, too long, or justat the correct distance (“on point”). By use of a wirelesscommunications link 426 between the laser controller 20 and the remotecontroller 300, the measured distance between the LDM 480 and the targetscreen 50 can be transmitted and then displayed on the monitor screen342 (see FIG. 7) of the tablet 300. Alternatively, as described ingreater detail below, the laser light source could be flashed atdifferent rates to provide an indication as to the current distancestatus, which would provide an easily visible indication to the user onthe jobsite floor as to whether that user should hold still, or movetoward or away from the laser controller.

As described above, there are two major components in this system: alaser controller 20 and a remote controller 300. The laser controllerincludes a laser transmitter 472 that produces a rotatable visiblevertical laser plane to indicate heading, and includes an electronicdistance measuring instrument 480, which provides a distance measuringcapability within the laser controller. As noted above, it is preferredthat the electronic distance measuring instrument 480 comprise a laserdistance meter (or “LDM”), and that the LDM also be mounted on the samerotatable rotor portion of the laser controller 20 as is the lasertransmitter 472.

First Embodiment: Rolling Floor Frame

The second major component of the system is the remote controller 300,such as a tablet computer, that is located with the user 52. (As usedherein, the phrase “tablet computer,” or merely “tablet,” will have thesame meaning as the phrase “remote controller.”) In the illustratedembodiment of FIG. 1, the tablet 300 is mounted to a movable floor frameor chassis 54 that also holds a vertical screen (or “target”) 50 thatcan be used to catch the laser fan beam 134 used for displaying theheading direction on which the point of interest lies. The movable floorframe (or chassis) 54 ties the screen 50 and tablet 300 together forconvenience of use. As an example, the movable floor frame 54 could havewheels, or a skid, or a combination of both.

The remote controller 300 includes a viewable display monitor (ordisplay screen) 342 that (as a touchscreen display) is used to input thedesired point of interest to drive the laser transmitter to. Inconjunction with the remote controller 300 is the LDM target, whichprovides a surface 50 onto which a distance can be measured. As will bedescribed below, the remote controller-target screen combination can beprovided in more than one package. For example, FIG. 1 illustrates achassis 54 that mounts the remote controller 300 near floor level, whileFIG. 8 illustrates a “walkable cart” 64 that mounts the remotecontroller 300 near waist level. Certainly other physical configurationscan be designed, without departing from the principles of the technologydisclosed herein.

General Use of the System

With the capabilities discussed above, and after a brief setup procedureto orient the system to the jobsite (described in greater detail below),any point of interest can be acquired through the following steps. Inreference to FIG. 1, the user first selects a point of interest usingthe display monitor 342 of the tablet/controller 300 from the geometrydisplayed from an architect's building file. (In many cases, there willbe a “point list” that the user will work from, which includes thejobsite coordinates for each of the points of interest that are to belaid out.)

After entering a command on the remote controller 300, the lasertransmitter's vertical laser fan 134 rotates (along a spin axis 123) toshow the heading on which the desired point of interest lies. (It willbe understood that the laser plane (or fan beam) 134 produces an upperlaser light edge at 134, and a lower laser light line at 130 thatimpacts the floor of the jobsite surface 100. In this situation, it isthe laser light line 130 along the jobsite floor that is being viewed bythe human user 52, and this laser light line 130 visually will indicatethe proper heading (or azimuth) to the user.

As the laser controller 20 is aiming its vertical laser fan 134 along aparticular heading, the electronic distance measuring instrument (e.g.,a laser distance meter 480) will simultaneously be aiming along the sameazimuth, a few inches above the jobsite floor. It is preferred that theLDM be mounted to transmit its laser beam essentially parallel to thejobsite floor, once the laser transmitter 20 has been leveled. In thatmanner, the distance readouts provided by the LDM will be truly accurateand plumb to the jobsite surface. (If the floor is intentionally sloped,then that factor can be calculated into the equations for determiningother distances that will be measured in subsequent steps.)

The user now moves the movable frame 54 on which the vertical screen 50and the tablet (remote controller) 300 is mounted, forward and backalong the visible heading, until the tablet 300 indicates the distance132 that correlates to the appropriate point of interest (at 140) alongthat heading.

Once the movable chassis (or frame) 54 has been correctly positioned atthe appropriate distance (i.e., the distance between the LDM and thetarget screen 50), the user can then mark that point on the floor. Thismarking step will be easily and accurately accomplished, as it willvisibly appear along the laser light line 130 which shows that heading,and the appropriate spot will be physically indicated right at the baseof the target screen 50.

Set Up Procedures

It is typical to start a construction site layout effort by striking achalk line that is offset (in the United States, typically at a two (2)foot distance) from the centerline between two existing verticalI-beams. These I-beams are typically positioned so that the main workingaxes are aligned with them. On FIG. 1, two such I-beams are designatedby the reference numerals 110 and 112. As illustrated on FIG. 1, acenterline between those two I-beams is a line 114, and there are twoperpendicular lines 116 and 118 that intersect the I-beams 110 and 112,respectively.

From the centerline 114, a first control point coordinate can bedetermined by offsetting in both main axis directions from a firstI-beam structure (i.e., the I-beams 110 and 112). The offset line isdesignated at 124, and it is offset by a distance 125 from the I-beamcenterline 114. This offset line 124 becomes a “control line.” Severalmethods of setting up the system have been envisioned by theinventor(s). All involve knowing at least one control point coordinate.

System Set Up: Method 1

A first example setup method requires knowing the coordinates of both afirst and a second control point, designated “CP1” (at 120) and “CP2”(at 122) in this example. In this first setup method, the first controlpoint CP1 is found along the control line 124, while the second controlpoint CP2 does not have to be along the control line that is shown inFIG. 1. Note that CP1 is offset from the line 114 (i.e., the centerlinebetween the I-beams) by the distance 125 in one direction, and CP1 isoffset from the perpendicular line 116 (which intersects I-beam 110) bya distance 127 in a second direction.

Please note that FIG. 4 depicts the same information as that illustratedin FIG. 1, except from the perspective of an overhead view. The controlline 124 is clearly seen, with CP1 along that line. The offsetdimensions are indicated: the centerlines for the first control point(CP1) are 124 and 127; the centerlines for the laser controller 20 are126 and 128. A point of interest 140 is found along a line 130 thatintersects the pivot axis of the laser controller 20, and diverges fromthe parallel line 126 at an angle θ. (Line 126 is parallel to thecontrol line 124.)

The procedure for setting up the system using this first method is asfollows:

-   -   (1) The user places the laser controller 20 on the jobsite floor        at a position that is not necessarily along the control line        124, but at a position that visually is clear of obstacles        between the laser controller 20 and that control line segment        124.    -   (2) The user manually drives (rotates) the laser transmitter 472        to aim the laser fan beam so as to lay a laser light line 130        directly over control point CP1.    -   (3) The user places the remote controller's target screen 50        onto control point CP1.    -   (4) The user commands the laser controller 20 to measure and        record the distance dimension 132 from the laser controller to        CP1—using the laser distance meter 480. The user typically will        be able to view this distance on the remote controller's display        342; also, the act of recording that distance dimension 132 will        typically be stored in a memory location of the memory circuit        312 of the remote controller 300, under the control of the        processing circuit 310. The azimuth angle of the laser fan beam        (as perceived by the laser controller's angle encoder 450) is        also now measured and recorded, in a like manner    -   (5) The user now moves activity to the second control point, and        steps (2) through (4) are repeated. This time, the laser        transmitter 472 is rotated along its spin axis 123 to aim at CP2        by visually placing a laser light line over that control point        CP2. The user now moves the remote controller's target screen 50        onto control point CP2. Then the user commands the laser        controller 20 to measure and record the distance from the laser        controller to CP2—again, using the laser distance meter 480. The        azimuth angle of the laser fan beam (as perceived by the laser        controller's angle encoder 450) is also now measured and        recorded, in a like manner    -   (6) The system will now calculate the position of the laser        controller 20, based on the angle between the line segments from        the laser transmitter and CP1 (called d_(AT) on FIG. 2) and from        the laser transmitter and CP2 (called d_(BT) on FIG. 2), and the        location coordinates of CP1 and CP2. The math involved is        described below.

Once the position of the laser controller 20 is known in terms of thejobsite's coordinates, that particular position could be inserted (or“stored”) in the virtual jobsite floor plan data file that is residentin the memory circuit 312 of the remote controller 300. This might onlybe a temporary condition, since the laser controller may well be movedto another portion of a large construction project, so as to lay outadditional points of interest at locations that are not accessible fromits first positioning on the physical jobsite floor.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a diagram is provided relating to this firstsetup method. Calculation of the coordinates of the laser transmitter 20are described in FIG. 2, FIG. 2A, FIG. 2B, and FIG. 2C. In this diagramand in these example equations, the laser transmitter 20 is referred toas point “T”, the first control point (CP1) is referred to as point “A”,and the second control point (CP2) is referred to as point “B”.

See the equations that relate to FIG. 2 (below) for this first setupmethod example. As stated in this example, the user begins with knowingthe coordinates of CP1 and CP2, and then measures one angle anddetermines two distances with the equipment provided, as disclosedherein. After all that information is fed to the remote controller 300,its processing circuit 310 calculates the coordinates of the lasercontroller at point “T”. (Note that the laser controller's X-Ycoordinates correspond to the intersection of the lines 126 and 128, onFIG. 1.) In this first setup method, there was no particular constrainton “where” the laser controller 20 should be placed, except that itneeds to have no physical obstruction between itself and the two controlpoints.

Referring now to the diagram of FIG. 2, the following equations areused:

Calculate distance d_(AB) and angle ε:d _(AB)=[(X _(B) −X _(A))²+(Y _(B) −Y _(A))²]^(1/2)

Calculate angles β and γ:

$ɛ = {a\;{\tan\left\lbrack \frac{Y_{B} - Y_{A}}{X_{B} - X_{A}} \right\rbrack}\mspace{14mu}\left( {{Law}\mspace{14mu}{of}\mspace{14mu}{Sines}} \right)}$$\frac{d_{BT}}{\sin(\beta)} = \frac{d_{AB}}{\sin(\alpha)}$$\beta = {a\;{\sin\left\lbrack {\frac{d_{AT}}{d_{BT}} \cdot {\sin(\alpha)}} \right\rbrack}}$

And:α+β+γ=πγ=π−α−β

(Note: calculation of β and γ are used only for setup Method 2—see FIG.3, below.)

Find the Equation of Line AT:Slope m _(AT)=tan(β+ε)(Standard Equation of a Line is: y=m·x+b)y=m _(AT) x+b _(AT)

Substitute known CP1 point A: (X_(A), Y_(A)), and solve for Y-interceptb_(AT).Y _(A) =m _(AT) ·X _(A) +b _(AT)b _(AT) =Y _(A) −m _(AT) ·X _(A)y=m _(AT) ·x+(Y _(A) −m _(AT) ·X _(A))  Equation of Line AT

-   -   (This is Equation 4.1)

Find the Equation of Line BT:Slope m _(BT)=tan(γ−ε)(Standard Equation of a Line is: y=m·x+b)y=m _(BT) ·x+b _(BT)Y _(B) =m _(BT) ·X _(B) +b _(BT)

Substitute known CP2 point B: (X_(B), Y_(B)), and solve for Y-interceptb_(AT).b _(BT) =Y _(B) ·m _(BT) +X _(B)y=m _(BT) ·x+(Y _(B) −m _(BT) ·X _(B))  Equation of Line BT

-   -   (This is Equation 4.2)

Equate Equation 4.1 and 4.2:

m_(AT) ⋅ x + (Y_(A) − m_(AT) ⋅ X_(A)) = m_(BT) ⋅ x + (Y_(B) − m_(BT) ⋅ X_(B))$X_{T} = \frac{Y_{B} - Y_{A} - {m_{BT} \cdot X_{B}} + {m_{AT} \cdot X_{A}}}{m_{AT} - m_{BT}}$

Substitute X_(T) into Equation 4.1 to find the y-coordinate (Y_(T)) oftransmitter T:

$y = {Y_{T} = {{m_{AT} \cdot \left\lbrack \frac{Y_{A} - Y_{B} - {m_{BT} \cdot X_{B}} + {m_{AT} \cdot X_{A}}}{m_{AT} - m_{BT}} \right\rbrack} + \left( {Y_{A} - {m_{AT} \cdot X_{A}}} \right)}}$

The position of transmitter T: (X_(T), Y_(T)) is now known.

Once the coordinates of the laser controller 20 (i.e., “T”) are known,then the laser transmitter 472 can be aimed at any point of interest tobe marked that is within non-obstructed viewing range of that lasercontroller 20. Of course, the point of interest must also be accessibleby the target screen that is to be placed directly on that point ofinterest to be marked on the jobsite floor surface 100.

On the other hand, if a point of interest happens to be located right atthe same position as a vertical wall or other type of verticalstructure, then that vertical structure itself could act as the physicaltarget screen (instead of the target screen 50 that is part of therolling chassis 54). The architect's building plan might indicate thisfact to the user, to inform the user that an existing vertical structurewill happen to be positioned just at the point of interest. This mightnot be a common occurrence, but if it were to indeed occur, the systemof this present technology would be able to handle that situation.

The illustration of FIG. 5 gives an example of how a human user woulduse the remote controller 300 with a detached target screen 50. In thissetup mode, the laser controller 20 is aiming a fan beam 154 toward thefirst control point CP1, while also aiming the laser light outputproduced by a laser light source 486 of the laser distance meter 480.The fan beam 154 produces a visible laser light line 150 along thejobsite floor surface, and the LDM 480 produces a laser light line 152that is parallel to the visible laser light line 150. The visible laserlight line 150 makes it easy for the human user 52 to visibly determineexactly where the correct heading (in the azimuth direction) to move thetarget screen 50, until the correct distance is reached. The mainrequirement is that the user keep the target screen at a properelevation so that the LDM laser light line 152 will actually intersectthe target screen surface at a point 55. This should not be difficult,as the target screen 50 should be sufficiently large to extend from thefloor surface up to the correct elevation so as to intersect the laserlight produced by the laser light source 486 of the LDM 480.

System Set Up: Method 2

A second example setup method requires knowing the coordinates of afirst control point, designated “CP1” (at 120) in this example. However,the second control point “CP2” (at 121) is not known, except that it isassumed to be along a control line 129. Note that, in this second setupmethod, the first control point is the “origin” or “source” of thecontrol line 129. The jobsite coordinates of CP1 are not typicallydesignated as (0,0), but what is meant here is that the physicalposition of CP1 is to be used as the source of determining an axis thatis parallel to the main axis on which this construction site isreferenced (on the architect's plan). In other words, an axis throughthis point CP1 becomes the control line 129, even if this new controlline 129 is not necessarily two feet offset from a centerline betweentwo I-beams. In fact, this new control line 129 might not even beparallel to any pair of I-beams on the jobsite, although that certainlywould not be typical.

The procedure for setting up the system using this second method is asfollows:

-   -   (1) The user places the laser controller 20 on the jobsite floor        at a position that definitely is not along the control line 129,        but at a position that visually is clear of obstacles between        the laser controller 20 and the control line segment 129.    -   (2) The user places the remote controller's target screen 50        onto control point CP1. As before, the main purpose is to        determine the distance between the laser controller 20 and CP1.    -   (3) The user manually drives (rotates) the laser transmitter 472        to aim the laser fan beam so as to lay a laser light line 130        directly over control point CP1.    -   (4) The user commands the laser controller 20 to measure and        record the distance from the laser controller to CP1—using the        laser distance meter 480. The user typically will be able to        view this distance on the remote controller's display 342; also,        the act of recording that distance will typically be stored in a        memory location of the memory circuit 312 of the remote        controller 300, under the control of the processing circuit 310.        This measured distance is referred to as d_(AT), which        corresponds to CP1 also being referred to as point “A” and the        laser controller also being referred to as point “T”. The        azimuth angle of the laser fan beam (as perceived by the laser        controller's angle encoder 450) is also now measured and        recorded, in a like manner.    -   (5) The user now moves activity to the second control point. In        this second setup method, the user places the remote        controller's target screen 50 anywhere along the control line        129. As before, the main purpose is to now determine the        distance between the laser controller 20 and CP2. Steps (2)        through (4) are now repeated.    -   (6) The laser transmitter 472 is rotated along its spin axis 123        to aim at CP2 by visually placing a laser light line over that        control point CP2, noting that in this second setup method, the        coordinates of CP2 are not known in advance—this is the control        point designated 121 on FIG. 3, not the control point 122 of        FIG. 2. The user now moves the remote controller's target screen        50 onto control point CP2. Then the user commands the laser        controller 20 to measure and record the distance from the laser        controller to CP2—again, using the laser distance meter 480.        This measured distance is referred to as d_(BT), which        corresponds to CP2 also being referred to as point “B”. The        azimuth angle of the laser fan beam (as perceived by the laser        controller's angle encoder 450) is also now measured and        recorded, in a like manner    -   (7) The system will now calculate the position of the laser        controller 20, based on the angle α between the line segments        from the laser transmitter and CP1 (d_(AT) on FIG. 3) and from        the laser transmitter and CP2 (d_(BT) on FIG. 3), and the        location coordinates of CP1 and CP2. The math involved is        described below.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a diagram is provided relating to this firstsetup method. Calculation of the coordinates of the laser transmitter 20are described in FIG. 3, with associated equations (below). In thisdiagram and in these example equations, the laser transmitter 20 isreferred to as point “T”, the first control point (CP1) is referred toas point “A”, and the second control point (CP2) is referred to as point“B”.

Referring now to the diagram of FIG. 3, the following equations are usedfor this second setup method example:

Calculate distance d_(AB) and angles β and γ:

$\frac{d_{AT}}{\sin(\gamma)} = {\frac{d_{BT}}{\sin(\beta)}\mspace{14mu}\left( {{Law}\mspace{14mu}{of}\mspace{14mu}{Sines}} \right)}$

And:α+β+γ=π

-   -   (Sum of the inside angles of a triangle=180°)        γ=π−α−β        Then:        d _(AT)·sin(β)=d _(BT)·sin(π−α−β)=d _(BT)·sin(α+β)        d _(AT)·sin(β)=d _(BT)·(sin(α)cos(β)+cos(α)sin(β))

Solve for β:

β = tan⁻¹  d_(BT) ⋅ sin (α) d_(AT) − d_(BT) ⋅ cos (α)$\beta = {\tan^{- 1}\left\lbrack \frac{d_{BT} \cdot {\sin(\alpha)}}{d_{AT} - {d_{BT} \cdot {\cos(\alpha)}}} \right\rbrack}$

Coordinates of the transmitter can be found as follows:X _(T) =X _(A) +d _(AT)·cos(β)Y _(T) =X _(A) −d _(AT)·sin(β)

The position of transmitter T: (X_(T), Y_(T)) is now known.

As stated in this example, the user begins with knowing the coordinatesof CP1 but not CP2, but selects a point along the control line 129 asCP2. During this procedure, the user measures one angle and determinestwo distances with the equipment provided, as disclosed herein. Afterall that information is fed to the remote controller 300, its processingcircuit 310 calculates the coordinates of the laser controller at point“T”. In this second setup method, there was a particular constraint on“where” the laser controller 20 should be placed—it cannot be on thecontrol line 129. Also, there needs to be no physical obstructionbetween laser controller 20 and the two control points, as always.

Another possible setup method could place the laser controller 20direction on a known control point, which would simplify the geometryfor the setup equations. In that instance, the X-Y coordinates wouldautomatically be known, although the azimuth angle would still need tobe determined, to line up with the jobsite baseline.

Once the laser controller 20 has been set up with a jobsite floor plan,regardless of which method was used to achieve that setup (or“registration”) into the floor plan, the laser controller can beimmediately used to find points of interest. There are two possible waysof “finding” points of interest:

(1) If the point of interest is “known” (i.e., “predetermined”), thatmeans the coordinates for that point of interest are already in thejobsite floor plan, and therefore, the laser fan beam of the lasercontroller can be commanded to aim directly at those coordinates,thereby allowing the user to simply walk along that laser fan beam'svisible light line until reaching the correct distance, and then markingthat point on the jobsite surface. This is a primary use of thetechnology disclosed herein.

(2) If the point of interest is “unknown,” then the user is working in a“survey mode” to manually select a new specific physical feature on thejobsite that the user wants to add into the virtual jobsite floor plan.The user may or may not want to keep that new particular point in thevirtual floor plan forever, but at least for now, the user wants todetermine the coordinates of that specific feature in terms of thejobsite floor plan. In this survey mode, the user will manually commandthe laser fan beam to rotate until that fan beam is aiming directly atthe specific feature of interest—i.e., the laser light line will crossdirectly over that specific feature. The user can then move along thatlaser light line with the movable target until reaching the specificfeature and command the laser controller to take a distance reading(with the LDM). Once the heading (azimuth angle) and the distance to thespecific feature are known, the laser controller, or the remotecontroller, will be able to calculate the coordinates of that formerly“unknown” point of interest, and it will no longer be “unknown,” butinstead, it will become registered in the virtual jobsite floor plan. Itshould be noted that, if the specific feature is a wall or othervertical structure at least six inches in height, then the laser fanbeam could be aimed directly at that specific feature and the laserdistance meter (LDM) probably would be able to get a “return” from theLDM's distance measuring beam, so it is quite possible that the desireddistance could be found for the unknown point of interest, without theuser actually moving to that spot with the movable target.

Laser Controller Hardware Description

Referring now to FIG. 6, a block diagram of a laser controller used inthe present system is illustrated, and is generally designated by thereference numeral 20. Laser controller 20 includes a processing circuit410, which will have associated random access memory (RAM) at 412,associated read only memory (ROM) at 414, and at least one input/outputcircuit at 416. These memory circuits 412, 414, and 416 communicate withthe processing circuit 410 by use of a bus 418, which typically isreferred to as an address bus or a data bus, and can also contain othertypes of signals, such as interrupts and perhaps other types of timingsignals.

The input/output circuit 416 will sometimes also be referred to hereinas an “I/O” circuit. This I/O circuit 416 is a primary interface betweenthe real world devices and the processing circuit 410. The I/O circuit416 is in communication with various communications devices and alsovarious types of motor drive circuits and sensor circuits.

The input/output circuit 416 is in communication with a communicationsport A, which is generally designated by the reference numeral 420.Communications port 420 includes a transmitter circuit 422 and receivercircuit 424. Communications port 420 is provided to exchange datainformation with the remote controller 300. The communication linkbetween remote controller 300 and communications port 420 is designatedby the reference numeral 426. In a preferred mode of this system, thecommunication link 426 will be wireless, although a cable could beconnected between the communications port 420 and the remote controller300, if desired.

An optional second communications port, referred to as port B, isgenerally designated by the reference numeral 430 on FIG. 6. This port430 comprises a data interface with an input circuit at 432 and outputcircuit at 434. If used, this communications port 430 can transfer datato and from an optional null-position photosensor, generally designatedby the reference numeral 438, using a communication path 436. While itwould be possible for communication link 436 to be wireless, there is noparticular need for that to be so. This optional equipment is found onother laser transmitters sold by Trimble, Inc. (formerly known asTrimble Navigation Limited), but it is not necessary for the primaryfunctions that are described herein. One possible reason to provide thisoptional equipment would be to use the laser controller 20 as asubstitute for other equipment in Trimble QuickMark Layout systems.

Laser controller 20 also includes a self-leveling motor drive circuit,generally designated by the reference numeral 440. This drive circuitprovides the voltage and current for a leveling motor 442. In addition,it receives signals from a level sensor 444, and these input signalswill determine what types of commands will be sent to the motor 442 fromthe drive circuit 440. If desired, this can be a self-contained systemthat may not need to communicate with the processing circuit 410.However, the laser controller 20 will typically desire knowledge ofwhether or not the laser controller has actually finished its levelingfunction before the laser controller 20 begins to function in its normalmode of operation. In addition, the processing circuit 410 may welldesire to control the leveling motor drive circuit 440, essentially tokeep it de-energized at times when it is not critical for the lasercontroller to actually be attempting to level itself with respect togravity.

It will be understood that an automatic leveling function is desired,but it is not a requirement for using this technology. If it is notused, then each time the laser controller 20 is moved to a new positionon the jobsite surface, the user must manually level that lasercontroller. In that type of embodiment, the laser controller wouldlikely be provided with leveling screws and at least one bubble vial.

Laser controller 20 also includes an angle encoder 450, in a preferredembodiment of this control system. Angle encoder 450 will provide inputsignals to the processing circuit 410, so that it knows exactly wherethe laser transmitter is being pointed with respect to the azimuthdirection. Measuring the azimuth could be a wholly manual operation, ifdesired to reduce system cost by eliminating the encoder. However, for afully automated system, the angle encoder 450 will be necessary.Certainly the frequent changes in the azimuth direction of the lasertransmitter that tend to occur in this point layout control system wouldmake a decision to delete the angle encoder seem later like a horribleidea. An electronic angle encoder will provide an electrical or opticaloutput signal that is related to the angle (or “heading”) that has beenmeasured by the encoder subassembly. In the laser controller 20, thatangle encoder output signal is directed to the I/O interface circuit416.

Laser controller 20 preferably will also include an azimuth motor drive,generally designated by the reference numeral 460. Motor drive 460 willprovide the proper current and voltage to drive the azimuth motor 462,which is the motive force to aim the laser transmitter. This could bepart of a self-contained system, working with the angle encoder 450.However, on FIG. 6, it is illustrated as being controlled by theprocessing circuit 410, which is necessary to perform the functions thatare specified in the logic flow charts that are provided herewith. Itwill also be understood that, as an option, a manually-adjusted azimuthinstrument could be provided on the laser controller, rather thanincluding an azimuth motor drive as described above.

The leveling motor system includes a leveling platform for the azimuthmotor 442, which has output shaft and a pinion gear that meshes with aspur gear. The spur gear has an output shaft that is vertical, whichruns through an encoder disc subassembly and up to a second wheel ordisc that includes a pair of butt cell photosensors. The encoder discsubassembly typically has some type of visible markings that can bedetected by an encoder readhead, which is located along the outerperimeter of the encoder disc. The overall angle encoder subassembly 450includes both the encoder disc subassembly and the encoder readhead.Typical optical encoders have a fixed portion and a rotatable portion.

Laser controller 20 also includes a laser light source driver circuit470, which provides the current and voltage to drive a laser lightsource 472. This typically will be a laser diode, although it could besome other type of laser light beam emitter, if desired. As describedabove, the laser light source will typically be emitting visiblewavelength light, although a non-visible wavelength light source couldbe desirable for certain applications, and a laser light source emittinginfrared light could be used in that situation. The laser source driver470 is controlled by processing circuit 410 in the configurationillustrated on FIG. 6.

The laser controller 20 will typically include a “fan beam” lasertransmitter 472. However, it will be understood that other types oflaser light sources could be used, including a rotating laser beam (suchas a dithering laser beam), if desired. There must be some minimumamount of divergence to create a laser light “plane” so that the laserlight will at least intersect the floor surface of a jobsite, andperhaps also intersect a ceiling surface for interior spaces onjobsites. The laser controller 20 will have many uses, even if the laserlight source only is pointing at a floor surface. In this description,it will be assumed that the laser light source is a fan beam laser or anequivalent, so that either (i) a continuous plane of laser light isbeing emitted by laser controller 20, or (ii) a moving beam of laserlight (i.e., a stream of photons in a line that moves its aiming angleover time) is emitted by laser controller 20 in a manner so as to createa “plane” of laser light that emulates a fan beam.

An electronic distance measuring instrument, generally designated by thereference numeral 480, is included in the laser controller 20. Thedistance measurer 480 communicates with the microprocessor 410 throughthe input/output circuit 416. If the distance measurer 480 uses laserlight as its distance sensing means, then it can also be referred to asa “laser distance meter” or “LDM.” Other types of distance measuringinstruments also could be used, such as a sound-based device, as notedabove.

Assuming the distance measurer 480 is an LDM, it will include a laserdriver circuit 482 and a laser beam receiver interface circuit 484. Thelaser driver 482 provides current for a laser light source 486, whichemits a laser light beam, such as the laser light beam 130 (as shown onFIG. 1). A photosensor 488 receives the reflected laser light (fromlight beam 130), and the current signal that is output by thephotosensor 488 is directed to the laser receiver interface circuit 484.After appropriate amplification and possible demodulation, that signalis sent through the I/O circuit 416 to the microprocessor 410. In thismanner, the DMD 480 can determine an accurate distance between the lasercontroller 20 and a target that light beam 130 is reflected from, backto the photosensor 488.

An indicating lamp 490 can be included in the laser controller 20 toprovide visual signals to a human user. Certain flashing signals couldindicate a particular status, such as being TOO LONG, or TOO SHORT, withregard to the distance measurement between the DMD 480 and the targetscreen being manipulated by the user. Or, as described in greater detailbelow, the laser light source could be flashed at different rates toprovide an indication as to the current distance status, which wouldprovide an easily visible indication to the user on the jobsite floor asto whether that user should hold still, or move toward or away from thelaser controller.

To indicate status, an audible output could be used as well, or insteadof a visible lamp. Such an audible output could beep at certain rates(instead of flashing, for example), or if the audible output device actslike a speaker, it could change pitches to signal a change in status.(Note that such an audible output could be provided on the RemoteController instead of, or in addition to, an audible output at the lasercontroller. See below.)

Remote Controller Hardware Description

Referring now to FIG. 7, a block diagram is provided for a remotecontroller, which is generally designated by the reference numeral 300.Remote controller 300 includes a processing circuit 310, with associatedRAM 312, ROM 314, some type of bulk memory or external memory 316, andan input/output circuit 318. These circuits are all in communicationwith the processing circuit 310 via a bus 315, which normally wouldcarry data signals and address signals, and other types ofmicroprocessor signals, such as interrupts.

The bulk memory 316 could be a disk drive, or perhaps some type of flashmemory. If in the form of flash memory, it could be an external memorydevice (such as a “portable memory device”) that can plug into theremote controller, via a USB port, for example. In that situation, therewould be a USB interface port between the bulk memory device 316 and thebus 315.

The I/O circuit 318 will be in communication with a first communicationsport 320, which is designated as communications port “X” on FIG. 7.Communications port 320 includes a transmitter circuit 322, and areceiver circuit 324. Communications port 320 is designed to communicatewith the laser controller 20, typically using a wireless signal via awireless pathway 326 (as noted on FIG. 7). As described in greaterdetail below, in this point layout system the laser controller 20 willcommunicate distance information and azimuth angle information with theremote controller 300, and that information arrives via the wirelesspath 326 to and from communications port 320.

An optional second communications port 330 can be included in remotecontroller 300, and this is designated as communications port “Y” onFIG. 7. The communications port 330 includes a transmitter circuit 322and receiver circuit 334. If installed, communications port 330 can beused to exchange information with an architect computer 50, via acommunication link 336. On FIG. 7, the communication link 336 isdepicted as a wireless link, although it certainly could be constructedby use of an electrical cable or an optical cable, if desired. If used,communications port 330 will be able to exchange floor layout data withthe architect computer 50; more specifically, it can receive a virtualjobsite floor plan and store it in the bulk memory circuit 316. Inaddition, if the remote controller 300 receives information about a newor “unknown” point of interest in the jobsite floor plan, then thatinformation not only can be saved in the bulk memory circuit 316, butcould be also communicated back to the architect computer 50 (via thecommunications port 330) to be placed in the original floor plan. Or, arevised virtual jobsite floor plan (which includes the new point ofinterest) can be saved as a file in bulk memory circuit 316, and thatentire file could be transferred to the architect computer 50.

It will be understood that the architect computer 50 could comprise a“fixed” unit that essentially remains in the architect's office, andpasses data to the remote controller 300 while the remote controller isphysically at the office, or perhaps they may remotely communicate withone another via a wide area network, such as the Internet.Alternatively, the architect computer 50 could comprise a “portable”unit that is transported to the jobsite, and communicates with portableunit 300 while on site. Finally, as portable computers become evensmaller in physical size, it is possible that a portable remotecontroller and the architect computer will eventually become merged intoa single device. On the other hand, a tablet computer is much moredurable than many other forms of portable computers, and for the rigorsthat the remote controller 300 will be subjected to, it does not seemhighly probably that it would merge functions with the architect'scomputer 50.

A display driver circuit 340 is in communication with the I/O circuit318. Display driver circuit 340 provides the correct interface and datasignals for a display 342 that is part of remote controller 300. Ifremote controller 300 is a laptop computer, for example, then this wouldbe the standard display seen in most laptop computers. Or, perhaps theremote controller 300 is a calculator-sized computing device, such as aPDA (Personal Digital Assistant) or a smart phone, in which case thedisplay would be a much smaller physical device. Display 342 could be atouch screen display, if desired, such as found on many tabletcomputers.

One example of a type of remote controller that could work in thissystem (with some modification) is the portable “layout manager,” whichis an existing hand-held computer sold by Trimble, Inc. (formerly,Trimble Navigation Limited), Model Number LM80. It should be noted thatone cannot simply take the LM80 and immediately use it as a remotecontroller in the present system; the software must be modified toperform the necessary calculations, which are described herein. Inaddition, the input/output circuits must be modified to be able tocommunicate commands and data both to and from the laser controller 20.

A keypad driver circuit 350 is in communication with I/O circuit 318.Keypad driver circuit 350 controls the signals that interface to aninput sensing device 352, such as a keypad, as depicted on FIG. 7.Again, if the display 342 is of a touch screen type, then there may notbe a separate keypad on remote controller 300, because most of thecommand or data input functions will be available by touching thedisplay itself. There may be some type of power on/off switch, but thatwould not necessarily be considered a true keypad (and typically wouldnot be used for entering data).

Second Embodiment: Hand-Operated Rolling Cart

Referring now to FIG. 8, a handheld, or hand-pushed, rolling cart isillustrated at 64. The cart 64 includes a chassis with wheels, and has atarget screen 60 mounted near the bottom portion of the cart. Anextension arm or handle 68 travels upward to a mount 70, to which theremote controller 300 is attached. In the illustrated embodiment, theremote controller 300 is again a tablet computer that is directlyoperated by a human user 52. A preferred tablet 300 would include adisplay monitor 342 that also is a touchscreen, for use as a user inputcircuit, rather than having a separate keypad. However, a separatekeypad 352 could nevertheless be provided, if desired.

The rolling cart 64 could be a relatively small cart, but large enoughto support the vertical target screen 60, having its bottom edge inclose proximity to the surface of the floor 200. The cart 64 should beeasily moved forward and back, using four wheels, as shown. The handle68 extends upward to the user 52, allowing him to maneuver the cartwhile he is standing. Attached to the handle 68 is the mounting bracket70, which houses and supports the remote controller 300. The display 342should be oriented on the bracket 70 so that the user is able to easilyview the tablet.

Use of the Hand-Operated Rolling Cart

Referring now to FIG. 9, the user can easily find a point of interest onthe jobsite floor 200 by maneuvering the cart 64 so that the targetscreen 60 intercepts the distance meter laser spot 65 at any distancefrom the laser controller 20, and along the heading provided by avisible laser light line 230. It should be noted that the laser fan beam234 will extend all the way between its uppermost edge 236 and its lowerboundary—which is the jobsite floor itself. Therefore, the laser fanbeam 234 will not only produce the visible horizontal laser light line230 on the jobsite floor, but will also produce a visible vertical laserlight line 66 on the target screen surface at 60. This is a highlyvisible vertical line that the user will easily see while using therolling cart 64, and all that the user needs to do is move the cart backand forth—while keeping the cart 64 within the visible laser fan beam234—until finding the correct distance.

The LDM 480 of the laser controller 20 will measure that distance 232between the target screen 60 and the laser transmitter 472, and displaythe distance on the tablet's display monitor 342. In addition, anindication can be provided as to whether the user should move closer intoward the transmitter, or to move farther out from the transmitter, orto stand still if the user is “on point”.

If a distance correction from the laser distance meter 480 to the cart64 must be made, the cart is easily moved forward and back along theheading indicated. As noted above, while correcting the distance, theuser only needs to keep the rolling cart 64 within the correct heading,which is visibly indicated in a manner that is quite difficult to miss.And once the correct distance from the laser controller 20 is attainedalong the visible heading, the point of interest at 240 can then bemarked on the floor 200 at the bottom edge of the target screen 60 (seeFIG. 10).

The hand-operated rolling cart 64 offers certain advantages, including astructure that mounts the useful elements of the target screen 60 andtablet-remote controller 300 on one easy-to-maneuver frame. The handle68 can be folded flat against the frame of the cart, for easy stowingwhen not in use. The cart 64 allows the user to search and find thepoint of interest while standing, thus saving wear and tear on hisknees, hips and back, which may result with the alternative of crawlingaround on all fours, or bending low over and over.

Once the target screen 60 has been moved to the correct position on thejobsite surface, the intersection of the horizontal laser light line 230and the vertical laser light line 66 directly and visually indicates thelocation of the current point of interest to the user. These two laserlight lines provide a type of L-shaped mark (or “L-mark”) on the jobsitesurface and movable target surface that cannot be achieved with anyconventional equipment. The elbow point of that lighted “L-mark” (at, ornear, the bottom of the visible vertical light line at 238 on FIG. 10,for example) will be directly at the point of interest. It will beunderstood that this “L-mark” visual indication will also take placewhen using the movable floor frame 54 that is illustrated on FIG. 1, inwhich a vertical laser light line will also appear on the target screen50 of that movable floor frame.

It should be noted that the visible horizontal laser light line 230 doesnot necessarily need to extend all the way to the point of interest 240.For example, if the jobsite floor surface is uneven (a commonoccurrence), then the laser plane 234 might not reach the floor surfaceby the time it crosses the point to be marked (i.e., at the point ofinterest 240). However, the new system will work just fine anyway,because the bottom edge of the vertical laser light plane 234 willcontinue along the same heading, just at a slightly higher altitude justoff the floor surface. So long as the vertical laser light plane impactsthe target screen 60, it will impart a highly visible vertical line onthat target screen 60—this is the laser light line 66 on FIG. 10. If thetarget screen 60 is plumb (i.e., vertical), as designed, then the laserlight line 66 will “aim” directly down toward the desired point ofinterest, once the accessory cart 64 has been placed at the correctdistance from the electronic distance measuring instrument 480 of thelaser controller 20. In this situation, the user may not literally seean “L-mark” right at the point of interest, but the vertical laser lightline 60 on the target screen 66 will nevertheless provide an accuratelocation for marking the point of interest on the jobsite floor surface.

In addition to the variation discussed in the previous paragraph, in analternative embodiment the laser plane could emanate in a manner suchthat the bottom edge of the laser plane never touches the jobsite floorsurface. In this arrangement, there would be no visible laser light linerunning horizontally across the floor, however, the user could easilyfind the visible wavelength laser plane merely by walking across thejobsite floor with the target screen in hand, while moving in anon-radial direction with respect to the laser controller. Once thetarget screen intercepted the laser plane, a vertical line of visiblelaser light would become very noticeable and the user would know thatthe desired radial direction had been found. The user could then move inthat now-visible radial direction until reaching the correct distancefrom the laser controller; that of course would then indicate that thedesired point of interest had been found. See FIGS. 17 and 18, and thedescription below relating to those FIGS. 17 and 18, which describe thisalternative embodiment in greater detail.

On FIGS. 9 and 10, a control line 224 is depicted as being offset from acenterline 214 between two vertical I-beams 210 and 212. A first controlpoint CP1 is designated at 220, along the offset control line 224, whichis offset by a distance dimension at 225. The laser controller 20 ispositioned at a pair of X-Y centerlines 226 and 228, which are offsetfrom parallel lines 216 and 218, which themselves intersect the I-beams210 and 212 along the jobsite floor 200. The correct heading from thelaser controller 20 to the point of interest 240 diverges from theparallel line 226 by an angle θ. The overall geometry of FIG. 9 is thesame as that of FIG. 1.

Flow Chart: Setup Procedure

Referring now to FIG. 11, a flow chart is provided to show some of theimportant steps in a setup procedure for the laser controller, as it isfirst placed on a jobsite floor. The flow chart of FIG. 11 involves thefirst method that was discussed above, in reference to FIG. 2. Bothcontrollers are first initialized to begin the procedure: the remotecontroller (or “RC”) is initialized at a step 500, and the lasercontroller (or “LC”) is initialized at a step 550.

After being initialized, the RC initiates a communications session withthe LC at a step 510, with the purpose of laying out points at a newsite—i.e., a new portion of a floor plan of a construction jobsite.After being initialized, the LC waits for a message from an RC, at astep 552. Once the LC receives a message, it must determine whether acorrect command has been received, at a decision step 560. If not, theLC continues to wait at step 552. If so, the LC sends an acknowledgementmessage back to the RC at a step 562.

It will be understood that the messages that are passed between the RC300 and the LC 20 could be wireless in nature, or if desired, a cablecould be run between the two devices. Since the RC will be moved aroundthe jobsite floor quite often, it makes sense to use a wirelesscommunications protocol.

At a step 520, the RC will now accept manual commands entered by thehuman user to rotate the laser transmitter on the LC. At a step 570,these commands will rotate the laser fan beam either clockwise orcounterclockwise, depending on which exact command is entered by theuser. The manual rotation control commands entered by the user on thekeypad 352 or touchscreen display 342 of the RC 300 will automaticallybe transmitted to the LC. The user will continue to issue such manualcommands until the laser fan beam (fan beam 154 on FIG. 5, for example)produces a laser light line (e.g., line 150 on FIG. 5) that directlycrosses the first control point (such as CP1, on FIG. 5). Once the laserlight line is crossing the control point CP1, the user enters a commandto halt the rotation of the laser fan beam (at step 570).

It should be noted that the user may, alternatively, manually controlthe laser controller 20 to rotate the laser fan beam, without using theremote controller 300. However, this type of manual control wouldrequire the user to move to the laser controller's location every timethe user desired to rotate the laser transmitter, which would certainlyslow down the efficiency of the point layout work.

The user should now place a target screen directly on the control point,and then enter a command to inform the RC of that status. The RC nowsends a command to the LC, at a step 522, to measure the distance tothat target screen. At a step 572, using the electronic distancemeasuring instrument 480 (e.g., an LDM), the LC performs the distancemeasuring function, and sends the result to the RC, which is received bythe RC at a step 524. That distance result is also stored into memory atthe RC in step 524.

The RC now sends a command to the LC to measure the present azimuthheading at a step 526, and the LC, using its angle encoder 450, performsthat measurement and sends the result to the RC, at a step 574. It willbe understood that the LC could automatically perform the azimuth anglemeasurement in the same step as when the LC measures the distance to thetarget screen, without requiring an intermediate command, such as thatnoted above for step 526.

At a step 528, the RC receives the angle data from the LC, and storesthat data in memory. This angle data concerning CP1 will be used lateras the first heading that is needed to calculate the angle α, asillustrated in the floor plan diagram of FIG. 2.

The flow chart of FIG. 11 continues at a step 530, which indicates thatall the steps between 520 and 528 for the RC will need to be performedagain, this time to aim the laser fan beam at the second control point(CP2). This flow chart also continues at a step 580, which indicatesthat all the steps between 570 and 574 for the LC will also need to beperformed, again to aim the laser fan beam at the second control point(CP2), and to take the required measurements so as to send distance andangular heading data to the RC. At the end of these measurements whileaiming at CP2, the angle data will be used later as the second headingthat is needed to calculate the other side of angle α, as illustrated inthe floor plan diagram of FIG. 2.

It will be understood that the flow chart of FIG. 11 does not show allthe math steps needed to perform the calculations that are needed todetermine the position of the LC 20 on the jobsite floor plan. Those arepurely mathematical functions that are easily programmed for executionby the processing circuit of either the RC or the LC. It is preferred toperform those math functions at the RC 300, because the architect'sfloor plan is already stored in its memory circuit 312 (or 314), andmoreover, the microprocessor of a tablet computer is very likely ahigher-powered computer chip than what will be used for the LC. (Mostusers will use the RC, as a tablet computer, for many other variousfunctions anyway, so it makes sense to program that processing circuit310 with the APP that will be needed to perform these math calculations,and the other point layout functions, as well.)

Flow Chart: Layout Procedure

Referring now to FIG. 12, a flow chart is provided to show some of theimportant steps in a point layout procedure using the laser controller,after it has been placed on a physical jobsite floor and setup to thefloor plan for that jobsite. The flow chart of FIG. 12 involves thelayout functions that are illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 9, using either thefloor frame (or rolling chassis) 54 (of FIG. 1) or the rolling cart 64(of FIG. 9).

As in the flow chart of FIG. 11, FIG. 12 involves logic steps to beperformed by both the remote controller 300 (or “RC”) and the lasercontroller 20 (or “LC”). Both controllers have an initial condition atthe beginning of the flow chart of FIG. 12: the RC has a “point list”already stored in its memory, which is called up when this routine isinitialized at a step 600; the LC is already registered on the jobsitefloor when this routine is initialized at a step 650.

It will be understood that each controller—i.e., the remote controller300 and the laser controller 20—has its own operating software that isexecuted on its own processing circuit. However, it will also beunderstood that both of these controllers 300 and 20 are designed towork in conjunction with one another. Otherwise, everything probablywould have to be built into a single device and placed into the lasercontroller. While such a unitary device would have the capability toperform its functions without any significant design problems, it wouldbe less user friendly, because the user would have to keep moving backto that unitary laser controller to perform the point layout tasks.Instead, the preferred approach is to separate the functions so the usercan carry (or roll on the floor) the remote controller around to eachpoint of interest as it is being laid out on the jobsite floor, andnever have to move back to the location of the laser controller, untilthe entire point list has been laid out. The use of wirelesscommunications between the RC and the LC facilitates these tasks, asnoted above.

On FIG. 12, the first task after initializing this routine is for thehuman user to select a point of interest at a step 610. (Note: asdiscussed above, the actual choice of which point of interest to selectcan be automated by the software, if desired.) The RC now sends acommand to the LC, still at step 610, to aim the laser fan beam at thecorrect heading, so that a laser light line will be visually indicatedon the jobsite floor surface.

At a step 660, the LC receives the POI coordinates, or it receives acommand to aim at a specific azimuth angle—this is a matter of designchoice by the system design engineer. Either way, the LC now rotates itslaser transmitter 472 to emit a fan beam (such as the laser plane 134,as seen in FIG. 1) along the correct heading. The RC can now display amessage to the user, at a step 612, that the user should now move alongthe visible light line with the target screen.

The human user 52 (of FIG. 1) will now easily see the correct heading tofollow, while attempting to place the target screen at the correctdistance from the LC. It should be noted that, if the RC actuallydisplays the sought after distance on its display monitor 342, then anexperienced user will likely move quickly to a spot along the visiblelaser light line 130 of FIG. 1 that is very close to the correct actualdistance to the POI. After that, the remaining “back and forth”movements to close in on the exact distance for each point of interestshould be accomplished very quickly.

The LC will now perform periodic distance measurements, at a step 662,using its distance measuring instrument 480 (e.g., an LDM). The samplerate should be quite fast, at least in human terms, so the user feelsthat he is receiving almost continuous updates of the distance reading.The measured distances can be transmitted to the RC; in addition, if theLC was informed by the RC of the sought-after distance for this POI,then the LC can also send messages to the RC of the current distancestatus, such as TOO LONG, TOO SHORT, or ON POINT. Moreover, the LC canhave an indicator that visually flashes light or produces an audiblebeep (or other sound), and the flashing rate (or beeping rate) canchange, as the TOO LONG, TOO SHORT, or ON POINT status changes. Anaudible tone or beep may not be the best indicator on a busy (andperhaps noisy) jobsite.

Additionally, if there are LEDs of more than one color on the LC, then adifferent color could be flashed to indicate which distance status iscurrently operative—“green” could have the meaning of ON POINT, while“yellow” and “red” could have the TOO LONG or TOO SHORT meanings, forexample. Furthermore, the yellow and/or red lamps could also flash atdifferent rates, as the user approaches the correct distance to the POI.

As the measured distance data is received by the RC, that distance canbe displayed to the user at a step 614. Moreover, the display monitor342 could noticeably display a bright message (perhaps in color) to theuser that indicates the TOO LONG, TOO SHORT, or ON POINT currentdistance status. As noted above for the LC, the display on the RC couldeither flash or show different colors as the distance status changes,and/or if the correct (sought after) distance is being approached by theuser. Additionally, an audible tone or beep could be output on thetablet (RC) 300, if desired, although a busy jobsite may not beconducive to hearing such audible signals. The audible tone could “beep”at faster or slower rates, to indicate TOO LONG or TOO SHORT, forexample; a steady “on-tone” could represent an ON POINT current distancestatus. Another exemplary way to indicate the current distance statususing the display monitor 342 could be to show “arrow” symbols, muchlike are used on laser receivers that show elevation (as ABOVE GRADE,BELOW GRADE, and ON GRADE). One arrow could be illuminated (or couldflash) to show TOO LONG, while a second arrow could be illuminated (orcould flash) to show TOO SHORT, status states.

Another helpful way that the system hardware could provide an indicationto the user of the current distance status is to flash (or modulate) thelaser transmitter output light beam itself. In greater detail, the laserlight transmitter 420 of the laser controller 20 could be commanded toturn its optical output beam on and off, repetitively, as an indicationof TOO LONG, TOO SHORT, or ON POINT. For example, if the currentdistance status is TOO LONG, then the frequency of the light flashingcould be relatively fast, such as three flashes (on and off) per second;and if the current distance status is TOO SHORT, then the frequency ofthe light flashing could be relatively slow, such as only one flash (onand off) per second; finally, if the current distance status is ONPOINT, the frequency of the light flashing could be zero, which would bea constant “on” light beam.

Such laser light flashing would be eminently visible by the human useron the jobsite, because the laser light lines that run across thejobsite floor surface, and across the target screen 50 (and any othersurfaces that are impacted by the laser light plane) will brightly“shine on”, and then “shine off”—either quickly or slowly—as the correctdistance is finally reached by the user who is manipulating the targetscreen. Another refinement could be to vary the duty cycle of the on andoff flashing light beams. In other words, if the flash rate is threecycles per second, the duty cycle could be 50%, and the user would havea “good signal” to visibly see the laser light lines being created bythe laser light plane. However, if the flash rate is only one cycle persecond, or perhaps even slower, then the system designer may wish toincrease the duty cycle to 70% or 80%, for example, so the user willstill have “good signal” to visibly see those laser light lines, insteadof being required to wait for a longer “off time” that would be createdby use of a smaller duty cycle.

After the user has discovered the correct location for the current pointof interest—i.e., the target screen is now ON POINT—the display monitor342 at a step 616 can display a message to inform the user that heshould now mark this position on the jobsite floor. The RC 300 can storethis status, so as to prepare for moving on to the next point ofinterest.

At a step 620, the RC will select the next point of interest, and willsend a command to aim the laser fan beam of the LC at that next POI,just like in step 610. The LC receives this command for the next POI ata step 670, and rotates its laser transmitter 472 accordingly, just likein step 660. The LC will now repeat the other functions involving step662, and the RC will now repeat the functions of steps 614 and 616, andso on, for each POI on the point list.

Once the entire point list has been laid out, this portion of thejobsite floor plan will be completed. The laser controller 20 will nowlikely be moved to a different portion of the same jobsite, or to a newjobsite altogether.

Referring now to FIGS. 13 and 14, an exemplary laser controller 20 isillustrated in a top, plan view and a side, elevational cross-sectionview. The electronic distance instrument 480 is placed near the top ofthe laser controller package, so that its distance measuring laser beamoutput is directed at an elevation of approximately six inches (152 mm)above floor level, once the laser controller 20 is placed on a jobsitefloor surface. The exemplary laser controller 20 has proposed dimensions“D1” and “D2;” the proposed overall outer dimension “D1” is about 6.28inches (160 mm) in diameter, while the proposed overall outer dimension“D2” is about 6.89 inches (175 mm) in height.

Also placed near the top of the laser controller assembly 20 is thelaser transmitter 472, which has an associated circuit board 474 and alaser fan cylinder lens 476. The cylinder lens 476 receives a laser beam(as a straight line), and converts that optical energy into a fan beamthat is spread into a laser plane by the cylinder lens, as illustratedat 134 and 154, for example.

The entire top portion of the laser controller assembly, generallydesignated by the reference numeral 490, is able to rotate completelyaround its circumference at a 360 degree angle, so that any desiredheading can become the “aiming angle” of interest for the fan beam laserplane, and for the electronic distance instrument directional output ofthis laser controller 20. An azimuth drive subassembly is provided thatcontrols the heading of the “aiming angle,” which includes the azimuthdrive motor 462, an azimuth drive disk 464, and an angle encoder 450.

To make the laser controller 20 fully automatic, it is preferred toinclude a self-leveling platform, which includes the leveling motor 442,a level sensor 444 (not shown on FIGS. 13 and 14), and a levelingplatform pivot at 446.

A battery pack 402 is included at the bottom portion of the lasercontroller 20, so that replacement of the batteries will be easily done,using an access cover on the bottom of the enclosure. A power switch isincluded at 404, and a charging jack at 406. A main circuit board islocated near the bottom of the laser controller, at 408. In addition, anantenna 428 is included inside the enclosure for receiving andtransmitting wireless signals.

Referring now to FIG. 15, an alternative embodiment for a lasercontroller can be used to find points of interest, in which the lasercontroller does not include an electronic distance measuring unit. Asimplified laser controller 250 still includes a rotatable platform witha laser fan beam emitter, so it emits a laser fan beam 254 that producesa laser light line 260 along a jobsite floor surface 200. Theregistration of the laser controller 250 into the jobsite floor planwill require a manual measurement of distance to the control points 220and 222 during the setup procedure. Once that has been accomplished, thelaser controller 250 will be ready for use in laying out points ofinterest.

If a “known” point of interest is to be laid out, then the coordinateswill be made known to the laser controller 250 (typically by use of aremote controller 300 carried by the user 52, in which the remotecontroller has the virtual jobsite floor plan stored in its memorycircuit 316). The laser controller 250 can then be commanded to aim itsfan beam directly at the known point of interest 240, which will producea visible laser light line 260 along the jobsite floor surface, all theway to (and likely past) the physical location for that point ofinterest. The distance to that point of interest can be displayed on thedisplay monitor 342 of the remoter controller 300. The user 52 can thenphysically run a tape measure 270 from the laser controller along thelaser light line 260, and mark the spot at the correct distance. Thatmarked spot is the point of interest 240.

If a point of interest is “unknown,” the user can select a physicallocation (the “physical spot”) on the jobsite floor, and then commandthe laser fan beam 254 to aim at that exact physical spot. (This is the“survey mode” for use with this equipment.) The user can then run a tapemeasure 270 between the laser controller 250 and that physical spot (at240 on FIG. 15, for example) to determine the exact distancetherebetween. The user can input that measured distance between thephysical spot 240 and the laser controller 250 on the keypad, ortouchscreen display, of the remote controller 300, and the applicationsoftware on the remote controller will calculate the coordinates of thatphysical spot, and it can be placed into the virtual jobsite floor plan,thereby becoming a “known” point of interest.

The laser controller 250 used in these examples in connection with FIG.15 is a true “low cost” piece of equipment. It has no laser distancemeter, and no movable frame or cart is necessary to be used with amovable target screen. Of course, this system is also more difficult touse than the fully automated laser controller 20 that is used with theexamples that are described in connection with FIG. 1 and other views,herein. The user would be required to repeatedly move back and forthbetween the laser controller 250 and the “next” point of interest, andalso must physically move a tape measure 270 and take precise distancemeasurements, over and over, and over. But it might still be a vastimprovement over whatever methodology a given user had previously beenusing.

Registering the laser controller 250 with the jobsite floor plan wouldbe similar to the setup procedure discussed above, in connection withFIG. 5. Instead of using a laser distance meter that is mounted on thelaser controller 20, the user would place the laser controller 250 onthe jobsite floor surface, then aim the laser fan beam direction at oneof the control points, and then use a tape measure to determine thephysical distance between that control point and the laser controller250. That measured distance is then keyed (entered) into the remotecontroller 300. This procedure would then be repeated for a secondcontrol point. Once the azimuth angles and distances are known for bothcontrol points, the laser controller's position on the jobsite floorplan can be calculated as per the discussion above that involves thecalculations relating to FIG. 2, for example.

The basic system concept is again generally illustrated in FIG. 17. Asingle laser controller 720 is provided, which also uses a lasertransmitter 472 (see FIG. 6) which outputs a vertical laser light plane734 that has a different cylinder lens that directs the plane of visiblewavelength laser light between a top edge line 736 and a bottom edgeline 730. The bottom edge line 730 can be a substantially horizontalline that never contacts the work surface 100 of the jobsite.

The user handles a target screen 50, and a visible laser light line willappear on that target screen when the user has correctly positioned thetarget screen such that the laser plane 734 intersects that targetscreen 50. After completion of a setup procedure the laser controller720 is able to rotate a pivotable rotor portion on its pivot axis, so asto direct the vertical laser light plane 734 toward a point of interest140 on the jobsite's work surface 100, and the user 58 will be able tovisually see the correct direction of the laser plane 734 be keeping thetarget screen 50 within the laser plane while moving that target screenin a radial line direction, either toward or away from the lasercontroller 720, as needed.

When the user first begins to search for the laser plane 734, that usercan move the target screen 50 in a non-radial direction until thatscreen intercepts the visible wavelength laser light plane. Once thatoccurs, the user would likely move the target screen 50 (in a non-radialdirection) to a position such that the visible laser line produced bythe laser plane 734 on the target screen appears near the middle of thetarget screen 50. After that, the user can begin moving the targetscreen 50 in a radial direction until arriving at the correct distancefor the “next” point of interest on the jobsite surface.

The laser controller 720 also has the capability of measuring thedistance between the transmitter and the movable target screen 720,which is typically located at, and handled by, the user. An electronicdistance measuring instrument is provided on the rotating rotor portionof the laser controller 720 such that it will always “aim” in the sameazimuth direction (or “heading”) as the vertical laser plane is aiming.In a preferred embodiment, the electronic distance measuring instrumentcomprises a laser distance meter (also known as an “LDM”) that emits anarrow laser beam toward an intended target, and receives back some ofthat emitted laser beam energy—this is a well-known device. Also, in apreferred embodiment, the LDM is mounted on the laser controller 720such that it emits its laser beam in a substantially horizontaldirection, about six inches (152 mm) above the floor level.

In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 17, the laser controller 720includes a laser distance meter (“LDM”) 480 (see FIG. 6) that aims itsmeasuring laser beam 132 along the same azimuth as the vertical laserlight plane (also referred to as a laser “fan beam”) 734. As notedabove, both the LDM 480 and the laser plane transmitter 472 are mountedon the same pivotable portion of the laser controller 720, and thedistance measuring module is intended to be located within the lasertransmitter fan beam, and not only rotates with the vertical laser plane734, but has the laser 486 used for the distance measurement aligned andcoincident with the output laser plane used for the visual headingdirection. Therefore, these laser light-producing emitters are alwaysaimed along the same azimuth (or “heading”).

When in use, the LDM 480 has the ability to measure the distance fromthe transmitter rotor spin axis to a target screen 50, which typicallyis located at the user 52. The LDM 480 thus can provide an accuratedistance measurement in real time to the laser controller 720, which inturn can provide that information to a tablet computer 300, which is theremote controller that is visible to the user. The target screen 50 mustbe at least partially reflective to the distance-measuring energy, sothat a portion of the laser light emitted by the LDM 480 will bereturned to the photosensor 488 of the LDM.

If an indicating lamp 490 is provided on the laser controller 720, thenit can provide a flashing indication as to whether the user has movedthe target screen 50 to a position that is too short, too long, or justat the correct distance (“on point”). By use of a wirelesscommunications link 426 between the laser controller 20 and the remotecontroller 300, the measured distance between the LDM 480 and the targetscreen 50 can be transmitted and then displayed on the monitor screen342 (see FIG. 7) of the tablet 300. Alternatively, as described ingreater detail below, the laser light source could be flashed atdifferent rates to provide an indication as to the current distancestatus, which would provide an easily visible indication to the user onthe jobsite floor as to whether that user should hold still, or movetoward or away from the laser controller.

Referring now to FIG. 18, the laser controller 720 is illustrated in usewith the movable “rolling” accessory cart 64. As described above inreference to FIG. 9, the user can easily find a point of interest on thejobsite floor 200 by maneuvering the cart 64 so that the target screen60 intercepts the distance meter laser spot 65 at any distance from thelaser controller 720, and along the heading provided by a visible laserlight plane 734. It should be noted that the laser fan beam 734 willextend all the way between its uppermost edge 736 and its lowermost edge730—which is a horizontal laser light line substantially paralleling thejobsite floor. Therefore, the laser fan plane 734 will produce a visiblevertical laser light line 766 on the target screen surface at 60. Thisis a highly visible vertical line that the user will easily see whileusing the rolling cart 64, and all that the user needs to do is move thecart back and forth—while keeping the cart 64 within the visible laserfan beam 734—until finding the correct distance.

As in the case of the first embodiment described above, the LDM 480 ofthe laser controller 720 will measure that distance 232 between thetarget screen 60 and the laser transmitter 472, and display the distanceon the tablet's display monitor 342. In addition, an indication can beprovided as to whether the user should move closer in toward thetransmitter, or to move farther out from the transmitter, or to standstill if the user is “on point”.

Referring now to FIGS. 19 through 21, a second embodiment exemplarylaser controller 720 is illustrated. An electronic distance measuring(EDM) instrument is placed near the top of the laser controller package,so that its distance measuring laser beam output is directed at anelevation of approximately six inches (152 mm) above floor level, oncethe laser controller 720 is placed on a jobsite floor surface. As seenin FIG. 19, the EDM includes a printed circuit board 780, which rests ona mounting block 782. In this embodiment, the EDM is a laser distancemeasuring instrument, and the EDM laser emitter/receiver is best seen inFIG. 21 at reference numeral 784.

The exemplary laser controller 720 has many rotatable components in itsupper “turret” portion 790, which can be seen in FIGS. 19 and 20.Rotatably mounted in the upper turret 790 are the EDM components 780 and782 (as noted above) and a laser emitter subassembly 770. The laseremitter subassembly 770 includes a laser transmitter 772 (typicallyusing a laser diode as the laser light source), a collimating lens, anda cylinder lens that creates a fan beam of visible wavelength laserlight. A portion of the cylinder lens can be seen at reference numeral776 on FIG. 20. The cylinder lens 776 receives a laser beam (as astraight line), and converts that optical energy into a fan beam that isspread into a laser plane by the cylinder lens (such as the fan beam, orlaser light plane, 734 on FIG. 17).

Another circuit board 774 is mounted as part of the rotatable laseremitter subassembly 770. An upper rotatable housing 792 is seen in FIG.21; this housing 792 is removable, and attaches to a series of mountingclips 794 that are mounted around the perimeter of a rotatable base 778.In the uppermost portion of the rotatable turret 790 is an indicatinglamp 796, which typically is an LED. Surrounding the lamp 796 is a“beacon” lens cap 798, which is highly visible to users standing nearthe laser controller 720 when the lamp 796 is illuminated.

Certain other components that rotate are located in the lower portion ofthe laser controller 720. This includes an azimuth drive friction wheel763 and an azimuth drive encoder disk 764. The entire rotatable portionof the laser controller 720 is supported by bearings in a bearinghousing 748, as seen in FIG. 20.

The entire top portion of the laser controller 720 assembly, generallydesignated by the reference numeral 790, is able to rotate completelyaround its circumference at a 360 degree angle, so that any desiredheading can become the “aiming angle” of interest for the fan beam laserplane, and for the electronic distance instrument directional output ofthis laser controller 720. An azimuth drive subassembly is provided thatcontrols the heading of the “aiming angle,” which includes an azimuthdrive motor 762, the azimuth drive disk 764, and an angle encoder 750.

In the illustrated embodiment of the laser controller 720, the azimuthdrive motor 762 is a stepper motor, which has an output that contactsthe friction wheel 763 to rotate the entire top turret 790. The encoderdisk 764 provides position information feedback, so this system is aprecise aiming instrument, with virtually no gear backlash in thismechanical form.

To make the laser controller 720 fully automatic, it is preferred toinclude a self-leveling platform, which includes two leveling motors 740and 742, a level sensor (not shown), a stationary leg 745, and twomovable leveling legs at 743 and 744. A leveling platform “contains” allthese components, using a platform tri-bracket mount 746. The twomovable leveling legs 743 and 744 and the stationary leg 745 are allattached to this mount 746. The movable leveling legs will extend orretract as necessary to provide a self-leveling platform, once the lasercontroller 720 has been placed on a jobsite surface, regardless of theroughness or the lack of “horizontalness” of that surface (withinreason).

A battery pack (not shown on FIG. 20) will typically be included at thebottom portion of the laser controller 720, so that replacement of thebatteries will be easily done, using an access cover on the bottom ofthe enclosure. A power switch is included at 704, and a charging jack(not shown) will typically be included.

A stationary main circuit board 708 is located near the bottom of thelaser controller, which mounts on a stationary mounting plate 709. Ahandle 712 is attached to a mounting base 714, which is the base of theoverall laser controller 720. An antenna 728 is included inside theenclosure for receiving and transmitting wireless signals.

A stationary upper mounting plate 716 is included in the lower portionof the exemplary laser controller 720. There are several standoffs 718that hold the upper mounting plate 716 and the mounting base 714, whichprovide a spaced-apart volume for holding the azimuth drive componentsand the self-leveling drive components.

FIG. 21 shows the entire laser controller 720 with its housings (orcovers). The upper housing is at reference numeral 792, which rotateswith the entire rotatable “turret” portion 790. The lower housing is atreference numeral 710. The mounting legs are visible in this view,including the two movable legs 743 and 744. The lasers are both visible,including the EDM laser emitter/receiver 784 and the laser light planeemitter at 770.

Referring now to FIGS. 22-24, a second embodiment of an exemplarymovable accessory cart is generally designated by the reference numeral800. The movable cart 800 is similar to the movable “rolling” accessorycart 64 discussed above, with certain improvements. The bottom portion(or chassis) of the movable cart 800 includes a rolling rear wheel 816,and two non-rolling mounting feet 814. When a user moves the cart 800,an extension arm 868 is slightly tilted so as to lift the two mountingfeet 814 off the jobsite surface at 802. When the cart 800 has beenpositioned as desired, the user untilts the extension arm 868 to allowthe mounting feet 814 to touch the floor surface, and the cart will thenstand still at that position.

As can be best seen in FIGS. 22 and 23, there is a target screen 820,which has a bright finish surface at 822 that faces toward the “front”of the cart 800; in FIG. 23, the “front” of the cart is facing theobserver of this view. In this exemplary embodiment 860, the targetscreen 820 is made of plexiglass that is translucent to visiblewavelength light, and the bright surface 822 is a white label that hasbeen affixed to that front surface of the target screen 820. When avertical plane of visible wavelength laser light impacts the targetscreen from the front, the label 822 allows a portion of the visiblewavelength light to pass through that label 822 and through thetranslucent material so that a human user will be able to see a verticalline of laser light passing out the back surface of the target screen820. At the same time, a large portion of the visible wavelength laserlight that strikes the front of the target screen 820 will be reflectedby the bright surface finish of the label 822, and therefore, if a humanuser is positioned to the front of the target screen 820, that user willbe able to see the vertical line of laser light reflecting off thatsurface 822. In essence, a user will be able to see the laser light lineon the target screen 820 regardless of his relative position to thattarget screen (on the jobsite floor).

The target screen 820 and the bright surface 822 are part of a targetscreen subassembly that is generally designated by the reference numeral860. The target screen 820 is held by a mounting frame 840 that ispivotable about a horizontal pivot shaft 826. The pivot shaft 826 isheld in place by a pair of fixed shaft mounts 818 which, in turn, areattached to an overall mounting bracket 810. The mounting bracket 810 isattached to the extension arm 868 by a mounting clamp 812.

Most of the components of the target screen subassembly 860 are made ofplastic, or some other non-metallic material. The target screen frame840 is preferably plastic, and has two openings near the bottom for apair of brass weights 842. The positions of the brass weights 842 areadjustable, and during manufacture, the brass weights 842 are moved topositions that will cause the target screen 820 to go to a plumb(vertical) position about its fixed pivot shaft 826, when released.

If the target screen subassembly 860 had no dampening, then even slightvibrations could partially impair its desired vertical positioning. Tocompensate for that possibility, a pair of aluminum plates 832 arepositioned along the surface of a pair of plastic mounting brackets 830.In addition, a pair of permanent magnets 846 are positioned along thesurface of a pair of widened portions of the frame 840. (These are bestseen on FIG. 23.) The magnets 832 will move with the frame 840, andtheir magnetic fields will intersect the non-moving aluminum plates 832.

When the movable accessory cart 800 is moved to a new location on thejobsite surface, the target screen 820 will tend to rotate rather freelyabout its pivot axis at the pivot shaft 826. As the target screen 820rotates, the magnets 846 will be moving along with the bottom portion ofthe target screen 820/frame 840 subassembly, and when their magneticfields pass into the aluminum plates 832, eddy currents will be induced,which will create a “back-reluctance” that tends to slow down therotational movement of the overall target screen 820 structure. Thismagnetic system does not need to be critically dampened, especiallysince it is desired to allow the brass weights 842 to perform their taskof causing the target screen 820 to go to a plumb (vertical) positionbefore the laser plane 734 and the EDM 784 are used for positioningaccuracy. The rocking motion of the pivotable target screen 820 willdampen out fairly quickly, once the accessory cart 800 has been allowedto stand still.

It will be understood that the exact materials described above are notcritical to the functioning of the target screen subassembly 860. Othernon-metallic materials could be used for the plastic parts describedabove, and the brass and aluminum parts could be replaced with othermaterials, without departing from the principles of the technologydisclosed herein.

It should be noted that the target screen 820 needs to be “tall” enoughso that the laser spot produced by the EDM instrument 480 (or 784) ofthe laser controller 20 (or 720) will be intercepted by that targetscreen. In the system described above, if the “front” surface of thetarget screen 820 has the bright surface finish (or label) 822, thenthat “front” surface is the criterion that is being measured by thelaser distance measuring instrument of the EDM. Therefore, it is thelaser light line being produced on that “front” surface that is theindicator of the correct position of the point of interest being soughton the jobsite surface.

FIG. 24 shows the entire second embodiment movable accessory cart 800.As noted above, the target screen subassembly is at the referencenumeral 860, and the bottom portion of the cart 800 rests on the jobsitesurface 802. There is a handle 866 that allows the human user to easilytilt the cart 800 and move it to a different location on the jobsitefloor.

The very top portion of the movable accessory cart 800 includes anadjustable mount 870 that holds a remote controller in place for easyuse by the human user. The remote controller will typically comprise atablet computer 300, which is held in place by a tablet holder 872, andthat in turn is held in place by a tablet mounting bracket 874. Theadjustable mount 870 will hold the tablet mounting bracket 874 at anorientation that is selectable by the user.

Separate Laser Receiver Embodiment

In another alternative embodiment, a separate laser receiver 910 isprovided for detecting the laser light fan beam from the lasercontroller 20. This embodiment could be very useful in “bright light”situations, e.g., in which the sunlight is so intense that a visiblewavelength laser plane would be difficult to see, or in which thedistance between the laser controller and the target screen issufficiently great that the laser fan beam is less intense (and moredifficult to see). FIG. 26 provides a block diagram of a laser receiverthat could be used to detect the laser light, generally designated bythe reference numeral 910. FIG. 25 illustrates a mounting scheme forusing the laser receiver 910 with the movable accessory cart 800.

The use of a separate laser receiver 910 also allows for the use of alaser transmitter that can use a light source 472 that emits invisiblewavelength light, such as infrared (IR) light at 780 nanometers.

Referring now to FIG. 25, the laser receiver 910 is mounted in ahorizontal orientation so that its longitudinal photosensor at 930 isdirected in that horizontal direction. An exemplary laser receiver forthis purpose is a Trimble Model No. HR 220, with a photosensor that iscapable of detecting both visible wavelength and infrared light. Ofcourse, a different style of laser receiver could be used for otherlight wavelengths, if desired, including those of ultraviolet light.Typically, the light wavelengths would be near the visible spectrum, butthat is not necessary; also, typically the light source 472 will be alaser light source, so as to create a laser light plane.

On FIG. 25, the bottom portion of the accessory cart 800 is illustrated,including the target screen with its bright finish surface at 822 thatfaces toward the “front” of the cart. As described above, the targetscreen 820 is held by a mounting frame 840 that is pivotable about ahorizontal pivot shaft 826. The pivot shaft 826 is held in place by apair of fixed shaft mounts 818 which, in turn, are attached to anoverall mounting bracket 810. At the extremities of the mounting bracket810 are two non-rolling mounting feet 814. This portion of the accessorycart of FIG. 25 operates in the same manner as that described above inreference to FIGS. 22-24. The main difference, of course, is theaddition of the laser receiver 910.

On FIG. 25, the laser receiver 910 includes a housing 920, a photosensorat 930, a set of indicating lamps 922, an audible output device at 924,and a power switch at 926. As noted above, the photosensor 930 isoriented in a horizontal direction (i.e., the longitudinal axis of thephotosensor is horizontal), which allows the photosensor to detect alaser light plane that is either “ON AZIMUTH” or not. If not, thephotosensor are able to detect the position of the laser light planethat is to the left, or to the right of ON AZIMUTH.

The laser receiver housing 920 has an upper edge at 932, and that edgeincludes a notch at 934. The notch 934 provides a visible indication asto the location of where the ON AZIMUTH position is found for thephotosensor 930. If the laser plane has been located and the accessorycart 800 has been correctly positioned, there will be a laser light line966 that impacts the target screen surface 822 right at the notch 934,as shown on FIG. 25. Therefore, FIG. 25 depicts the accessory cart beingpositioned in the correct location on the jobsite floor surface tointercept the laser light plane along the correct azimuth angle. Whenthis condition occurs, the laser receiver is able to provide both anaudible and visible indication that the accessory cart is ON AZIMUTH.

Referring now to FIG. 26, the laser receiver 910 includes severalimportant hardware components, such as a processing circuit 950, withassociated RAM 952, ROM 954, and an input/output (“I/O”) circuit 956.These circuits are all in communication with the processing circuit 950via a bus 958, which normally would carry data signals and addresssignals, and other types of microprocessor signals, such as interrupts.Since the laser receiver will be handling analog signals, there likelywill be an analog-to-digital converter (“ADC”) somewhere in thishardware circuitry, and a typical place for such ADC circuit could bewith the signal conditioning I/O circuit 956. The ADC circuit could bemultiplexed, or there could be more than one ADC circuit for theplurality of analog signals coming from the photosensor 930.

It should be noted that a single microcontroller circuit couldpotentially contain all the hardware circuits described in the previousparagraph. Moreover, an ASIC could potentially contain all thosehardware circuits, as well as additional memory elements for a computerprogram that is used to execute commands on the processing circuit. Inaddition to the above hardware components, some type of communicationsport could be included in the laser receiver 910, such as a wirelesstransmitter and/or wireless receiver (not shown). Also, a hardwarecommunications port, such as a USB port, could be included (not shown).

The heart of the laser receiver 910 is the photosensor device, which onFIG. 26 is depicted as a pair of photocells that are mountedback-to-back at reference numerals 960 and 970. This is somewhat typicalarrangement (with two “butt cells”), although it probably represents theminimum level of sophistication for such photocells that are to be usedto detect the position of a laser beam that is striking the laserreceiver. Any desired arrangement of photocells can be used to make upthe photosensor 930, whether as a simple pair of diagonal split cells,or a much more complex set of multiple individual photocells that aremultiplexed and amplified at different gains to achieve a desired effectfor quickly and accurately detecting the position of a laser lightstrike. Several different exemplary schemes have been disclosed inpatents owned by Trimble, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,486,690, 6,133,991,and 7,012,237.

On FIG. 26, it is assumed that there are two photocells 960 and 970 thatmake up the photosensor 930 for the laser receiver 910. Each photocellhas an analog output that is directed to a gain amplifier stage 962 or972, respectively. The outputs from the gain stages are then directed toa pair of demodulation stages 964 and 974, respectively. It should benoted that the demodulation stages are optional; for example, if thelaser light source 472 is not modulated, then a demodulation stage isnot necessary. On FIG. 26, the final analog signals from thedemodulation stages are directed to the I/O circuit 956, where they canbe digitized by an A/D converter (the ADC). Please note that somemicrocontrollers contain an internal ADC, and in that situation, theanalog signals can pass through the I/O circuit 956 unprocessed, andthen be directed to the microcontroller 950.

The laser receiver 910 has several outputs, including an audible outputdevice 980, such as a piezoelectric audio emitter, and a set of LEDs at990. As can be seen on FIG. 25, there are three lamps 990; the left lamp(on FIG. 25) would be energized if the laser plane was striking to the“LEFT” of the “zero notch” 934; the right lamp (on FIG. 25) would beenergized if the laser plane was striking to the “RIGHT” of the “zeronotch” 934. Simultaneously, the audible output device 980 could emit aset of loud “beeps” at two different rates to indicate that the laserplane has been detected either to the LEFT of, or to the RIGHT of, theposition of the “zero notch” 934. All of these indicators are controlledby the laser receiver controller (e.g., the processing circuit 950) andwill be easily understood by the human user who is moving the accessorycart 800.

Finally, FIG. 26 depicts a user-controlled power (ON-OFF) switch at 982.An electrical power supply is depicted at 940, which uses a set ofbatteries 942. Most standard laser receivers include a timing circuit,and if it detects no user activity for a predetermined time interval(such as 30 minutes), then a “battery saver” circuit will turn off theelectronics automatically.

The use of an IR laser light source can be beneficial under certainjobsite conditions. The alternative embodiment depicted in FIGS. 25 and26 provides a solution for such conditions and, while the laser lightline that impacts the target screen 822 may not be visible to the humaneye, the ease of use of the accessory cart 800 nevertheless makes iteasy for the user to “find” the correct azimuth angle that leads to thepoint of interest that is being “aimed at” by the laser controller 20.If the jobsite floor has some small obstructions, the laser receiverwill still be able to detect the non-visible laser light, so long as thefloor obstructions are not too large in vertical size. Moreover, theelectronic distance sensor would continue to operate in the same manneras described above, in reference to FIGS. 1, 5, 9, 10, and 17-18.

It will be understood that the embodiment of FIGS. 25 and 26 could beused with any wavelength of laser light, including invisiblewavelengths, if desired. The addition of the laser receiver 910 allowsthe layout system and methodologies disclosed herein to be performedregardless of the jobsite lighting conditions, and regardless of theexact wavelength of the laser light plane being emitted by the lasercontroller.

Two earlier patent documents are related to the technology disclosedherein, and are hereby incorporated by reference. These patent documentsare: U.S. Pat. No. 8,087,176, titled “TWO DIMENSION LAYOUT AND POINTTRANSFER SYSTEM;” and U.S. Pat. No. 8,943,701, titled “AUTOMATED LAYOUTAND POINT TRANSFER SYSTEM.” Both of these patent documents are assignedto Trimble Navigation Limited of Sunnyvale, Calif., and are incorporatedherein by reference in their entirety.

It will be understood that the logical operations described in relationto the flow charts of FIGS. 11-12 can be implemented using sequentiallogic (such as by using microprocessor technology), or using a logicstate machine, or perhaps by discrete logic; it even could beimplemented using parallel processors. One preferred embodiment may usea microprocessor or microcontroller (e.g., microprocessor 410) toexecute software instructions that are stored in memory cells within anASIC. In fact, the entire microprocessor 410, along with RAM andexecutable ROM, may be contained within a single ASIC, in one mode ofthe technology disclosed herein. Of course, other types of circuitrycould be used to implement these logical operations depicted in thedrawings without departing from the principles of the technologydisclosed herein. In any event, some type of processing circuit will beprovided, whether it is based on a microprocessor, a logic statemachine, by using discrete logic elements to accomplish these tasks, orperhaps by a type of computation device not yet invented; moreover, sometype of memory circuit will be provided, whether it is based on typicalRAM chips, EEROM chips (including Flash memory), by using discrete logicelements to store data and other operating information (such as thedistance and angle data stored, for example, in memory circuits 312 or412), or perhaps by a type of memory device not yet invented.

It will also be understood that the precise logical operations depictedin the flow charts of FIGS. 11-12, and discussed above, could besomewhat modified to perform similar, although perhaps not exact,functions without departing from the principles of the technologydisclosed herein. The exact nature of some of the decision steps andother commands in these flow charts are directed toward specific futuremodels of sensing and control system devices used with constructionequipment (those involving laser transmitters sold by Trimble NavigationLimited, for example) and certainly similar, but somewhat different,steps would be taken for use with other models or brands of sensing orcontrol systems in many instances, with the overall inventive resultsbeing the same.

It will be further understood that any type of product described hereinthat has moving parts, or that performs functions (such as computerswith processing circuits and memory circuits), should be considered a“machine,” and not merely as some inanimate apparatus. Such “machine”devices should automatically include power tools, printers, electroniclocks, and the like, as those example devices each have certain movingparts. Moreover, a computerized device that performs useful functionsshould also be considered a machine, and such terminology is often usedto describe many such devices; for example, a solid-state telephoneanswering machine may have no moving parts, yet it is commonly called a“machine” because it performs well-known useful functions.

As used herein, the term “proximal” can have a meaning of closelypositioning one physical object with a second physical object, such thatthe two objects are perhaps adjacent to one another, although it is notnecessarily required that there be no third object positionedtherebetween. In the technology disclosed herein, there may be instancesin which a “male locating structure” is to be positioned “proximal” to a“female locating structure.” In general, this could mean that the twomale and female structures are to be physically abutting one another, orthis could mean that they are “mated” to one another by way of aparticular size and shape that essentially keeps one structure orientedin a predetermined direction and at an X-Y (e.g., horizontal andvertical) position with respect to one another, regardless as to whetherthe two male and female structures actually touch one another along acontinuous surface. Or, two structures of any size and shape (whethermale, female, or otherwise in shape) may be located somewhat near oneanother, regardless if they physically abut one another or not; such arelationship could still be termed “proximal.” Or, two or more possiblelocations for a particular point can be specified in relation to aprecise attribute of a physical object, such as being “near” or “at” theend of a stick; all of those possible near/at locations could be deemed“proximal” to the end of that stick. Moreover, the term “proximal” canalso have a meaning that relates strictly to a single object, in whichthe single object may have two ends, and the “distal end” is the endthat is positioned somewhat farther away from a subject point (or area)of reference, and the “proximal end” is the other end, which would bepositioned somewhat closer to that same subject point (or area) ofreference.

It will be understood that the various components that are describedand/or illustrated herein can be fabricated in various ways, includingin multiple parts or as a unitary part for each of these components,without departing from the principles of the technology disclosedherein. For example, a component that is included as a recited elementof a claim hereinbelow may be fabricated as a unitary part; or thatcomponent may be fabricated as a combined structure of severalindividual parts that are assembled together. But that “multi-partcomponent” will still fall within the scope of the claimed, recitedelement for infringement purposes of claim interpretation, even if itappears that the claimed, recited element is described and illustratedherein only as a unitary structure.

As used herein, the term “substantially vertical” relates to the“plumbness” of an item, such as a laser light plane, or a laser lightline. The important feature about something being substantially verticalis the degree of accuracy that is required for a particular constructionproject. The “verticalness” of a laser light line or a laser light planecould be rather coarse for some projects, perhaps even as coarse as plusor minus 10 degrees from true vertical; in that instance, a laser planethat is substantially vertical could be off by that plus or minus 10degrees, and still produce satisfactory results. That seems ratherabsurd for most construction project, to be sure; however, for projectsinvolving short distances, plus or minus 10 degrees from true verticalmay suffice. On the other hand, for example, the typical tolerance forself-leveling equipment sold by Trimble, Inc. is more like plus or minus20 to 45 seconds of arc (0.00556 to 0.0125 degrees) from true vertical.Again, it depends upon the requirements for a specific jobsite, butcertainly the tolerance values provided by Trimble's standard equipmentis more than satisfactory for meeting the definition of producing a“substantially vertical” laser light plane.

All documents cited in the Background and in the Detailed Descriptionare, in relevant part, incorporated herein by reference; the citation ofany document is not to be construed as an admission that it is prior artwith respect to the technology disclosed herein.

The foregoing description of a preferred embodiment has been presentedfor purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the technology disclosed herein to the preciseform disclosed, and the technology disclosed herein may be furthermodified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Any examplesdescribed or illustrated herein are intended as non-limiting examples,and many modifications or variations of the examples, or of thepreferred embodiment(s), are possible in light of the above teachings,without departing from the spirit and scope of the technology disclosedherein. The embodiment(s) was chosen and described in order toillustrate the principles of the technology disclosed herein and itspractical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the artto utilize the technology disclosed herein in various embodiments andwith various modifications as are suited to particular usescontemplated. This application is therefore intended to cover anyvariations, uses, or adaptations of the technology disclosed hereinusing its general principles. Further, this application is intended tocover such departures from the present disclosure as come within knownor customary practice in the art to which this technology disclosedherein pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A layout and point transfer system that aids infinding a point of interest on a jobsite, comprising: (a) a lasercontroller, including: (i) a laser light transmitter that emits asubstantially vertical plane of visible wavelength laser light, saidlaser light transmitter being rotatable about a substantially verticalaxis; (ii) an electronic distance measuring instrument that is rotatableabout said substantially vertical axis, said electronic distancemeasuring instrument being directional about said substantially verticalaxis and aimed at the same azimuth angle as said substantially verticalplane of visible wavelength laser light; (iii) an electronic anglemeasuring instrument; and (iv) a first processing circuit, a firstmemory circuit including instructions executable by said firstprocessing circuit, a first communications circuit, and a firstinput/output interface circuit; (b) a remote controller, including: (i)a second processing circuit, a second memory circuit includinginstructions executable by said second processing circuit, a secondcommunications circuit, a display monitor, a user-operated inputcircuit, and a second input/output interface circuit, wherein said lasercontroller and said remote controller communicate with one another byuse of said first and second communications circuits; and (c) a movabletarget screen, comprising: (i) a movable chassis; and (ii) a screenhaving a size and shape to intercept said visible wavelength laser lightwhen the chassis is sitting on a jobsite surface, in which said screenincludes a surface that is at least partially reflective to emissionsfrom said electronic distance measuring instrument; wherein: (d) saidfirst and second processing circuits are configured: (i) to allow aspecific point of interest to be selected at said user-operated inputcircuit; (ii) to emit from the laser light transmitter saidsubstantially vertical plane of visible wavelength laser light, underthe control of said first processing circuit; (iii) to aim said laserlight transmitter in a predetermined heading under the control of saidfirst processing circuit and at an angle that is determined by saidelectric angle measuring instrument, so that the substantially verticalplane of visible wavelength laser light is aimed at said selected pointof interest on said jobsite surface; (iv) to determine a physicaldistance between said electronic distance measuring instrument and saidmovable target screen, in which said physical distance is measured innear real time by said electronic distance measuring instrument; and (v)if said movable target screen is positioned at a predetermined distancealong said substantially vertical plane of visible wavelength laserlight that corresponds to a physical distance between the electronicdistance measuring instrument and the selected point of interest, asmeasured by said electronic distance measuring instrument, then for atleast one of (A) said laser controller and (B) said remote controller toprovide an indication of an ON POINT status.
 2. The system of claim 1,wherein said substantially vertical plane of visible wavelength laserlight creates a visible laser light line along the jobsite surface, andsaid target screen is moved in a direction of said visible laser line,until arriving at said predetermined distance along said substantiallyvertical plane of visible wavelength laser light.
 3. The system of claim1, wherein: (i) if the status of said determined physical distance isTOO LONG, then said display monitor on the remote controller will outputa first visible indication; (ii) if the status of said determinedphysical distance is TOO SHORT, then said display monitor on the remotecontroller will output a second visible indication; and (iii) if thestatus of said determined physical distance is ON POINT, then saiddisplay monitor on the remote controller will output a third visibleindication.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein: (i) if the status of saiddetermined physical distance is TOO LONG, then said remote controllerwill output a first audible indication; (ii) if the status of saiddetermined physical distance is TOO SHORT, then said remote controllerwill output a second audible indication; and (iii) if the status of saiddetermined physical distance is ON POINT, then said the remotecontroller will output a third audible indication.
 5. The system ofclaim 1, wherein: (i) if the status of said determined physical distanceis TOO LONG, then said laser controller will command the laser lighttransmitter to turn on and off the substantially vertical plane ofvisible wavelength laser light at a first flashing rate; (ii) if thestatus of said determined physical distance is TOO SHORT, then saidlaser controller will command the laser light transmitter to turn on andoff the substantially vertical plane of visible wavelength laser lightat a second flashing rate; and (iii) if the status of said determinedphysical distance is ON POINT, then said laser controller will commandthe laser light transmitter to continuously turn on the substantiallyvertical plane of visible wavelength laser light.
 6. The system of claim1, further comprising: an indicator lamp at said laser controller,wherein (i) if the status of said determined physical distance is TOOLONG, then said indicator lamp will output a first visible indication;(ii) if the status of said determined physical distance is TOO SHORT,then said indicator lamp will output a second visible indication; and(iii) if the status of said determined physical distance is ON POINT,then said indicator lamp will output a third visible indication.
 7. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein: at a time when said movable target screenhas been moved to said predetermined distance along said visible laserlight line, then a human user is able to mark said jobsite surface atthe location along said visible laser light line where said movabletarget screen exists.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein: both of saidfirst and second communications circuits comprise wireless transmittersand wireless receivers.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein: saidelectronic distance measuring instrument comprises a laser distancemeter.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein: said electronic distancemeasuring instrument emits a substantially horizontal laser measuringbeam above floor level.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein: the remotecontroller and movable target screen are mounted to a rolling chassis.12. The system of claim 1, wherein: said substantially vertical plane ofvisible wavelength laser light creates a vertical laser light line thatappears on said movable target screen.
 13. The system of claim 12,wherein: an intersection of laser light lines on the jobsite surface andon the movable target screen produces a lighted L-shaped mark thatvisually indicates the point of interest.
 14. The system of claim 1,further comprising: a self-leveling mount for said rotatable laser lighttransmitter and said rotatable electronic distance measuring instrument.15. The system of claim 1, wherein said substantially vertical plane ofvisible wavelength laser light does not contact said jobsite surface,and (a) said target screen is moved in a non-radial direction until saidsubstantially vertical plane of visible wavelength laser light makescontact with the target screen, and appears as a substantially verticalline on the target screen; then (b) said target screen is moved in aradial direction so as to keep said substantially vertical line on thetarget screen, until arriving at said predetermined distance along saidsubstantially vertical plane of visible wavelength laser light.
 16. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein said ON POINT status is indicated only ifsaid current physical distance as actually measured by the electronicdistance measuring instrument is within a predetermined tolerance ofsaid predetermined distance.
 17. The system of claim 1, wherein: if saidcurrent physical distance as actually measured by the electronicdistance measuring instrument is not within a predetermined tolerance ofsaid predetermined distance, then said the indicated status will be oneof: TOO LONG or TOO SHORT, depending upon the current physical distanceactually measured by the electronic distance measuring instrument.
 18. Amethod for using a layout and point transfer system that aids in findinga point of interest on a jobsite, said method comprising: (a) providinga laser controller, which includes: (i) a laser light transmitter thatemits a substantially vertical plane of visible wavelength laser light,said laser light transmitter being rotatable about a substantiallyvertical axis; (ii) an electronic distance measuring instrument that isrotatable about said substantially vertical axis, said electronicdistance measuring instrument being directional about said substantiallyvertical axis and aimed at the same azimuth angle as said substantiallyvertical plane of visible wavelength laser light; (iii) an electronicangle measuring instrument; and (iv) a first processing circuit, a firstmemory circuit including instructions executable by said firstprocessing circuit, a first communications circuit, and a firstinput/output interface circuit; (b) providing a remote controller, whichincludes: a second processing circuit, a second memory circuit includinginstructions executable by said second processing circuit, a secondcommunications circuit, a display monitor, a user-operated inputcircuit, and a second input/output interface circuit, wherein said lasercontroller and said remote controller communicate with one another byuse of said first and second communications circuits; (c) placing saidlaser controller on a jobsite surface in a work area; (d) selecting aspecific point of interest selected at said user-operated input circuit;(e) finding, on said jobsite surface, a predetermined point of interest,by: (i) emitting from said laser light transmitter said substantiallyvertical plane of visible wavelength laser light, thereby creating avisible laser light line along said jobsite surface; (ii) aiming saidlaser light transmitter in a predetermined heading under the control ofsaid first processing circuit and at an angle that is determined by saidelectric angle measuring instrument so that the vertical plane ofvisible wavelength laser light crosses said predetermined point ofinterest on said jobsite surface; (iii) determining a physical distancebetween said electronic distance measuring instrument and a movabletarget screen, in which said physical distance is measured in near realtime by said electronic distance measuring instrument, as said movabletarget screen is moved along said visible laser light line; and (iv)providing a predetermined indication to show an ON POINT status, if saidmovable target screen is currently positioned at a physical distancealong said substantially vertical plane of visible wavelength laserlight that is substantially equal to a predetermined distance betweenthe electronic distance measuring instrument and the selected point ofinterest, which corresponds to a physical location of said predeterminedpoint of interest on the jobsite surface.
 19. The method of claim 18,wherein: the predetermined indication showing the ON POINT statuscomprises a predetermined indicia that is displayed on said displaymonitor of said remote controller.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein:the predetermined indication showing the ON POINT status comprises apredetermined audible signal generated by said remote controller. 21.The method of claim 18, wherein: the predetermined indication showingthe ON POINT status comprises a flashing lamp on said laser controller.22. The method of claim 18, further comprising the steps of: whiledetermining the physical distance between said electronic distancemeasuring instrument and said movable target screen: (a) if the movabletarget screen is too close to said electronic distance measuringinstrument, then providing a second predetermined indication that isdisplayed on said display monitor of said remote controller; and (b) ifthe movable target screen is too far from said electronic distancemeasuring instrument, then providing a third predetermined indicationthat is displayed on said display monitor of said remote controller. 23.The method of claim 18, further comprising the steps of: whiledetermining the physical distance between said electronic distancemeasuring instrument and said movable target screen: (a) if the movabletarget screen is too close to said electronic distance measuringinstrument, then providing a second predetermined audible signalgenerated by said remote controller; and (b) if the movable targetscreen is too far from said electronic distance measuring instrument,then providing a third predetermined audible signal generated by saidremote controller.
 24. The method of claim 18, further comprising thesteps of: while determining the physical distance between saidelectronic distance measuring instrument and said movable target screen:(a) if the movable target screen is too close to said electronicdistance measuring instrument, then turning on and off the substantiallyvertical plane of visible wavelength laser light at a first flashingrate; (b) if the movable target screen is too far from said electronicdistance measuring instrument, then turning on and off the substantiallyvertical plane of visible wavelength laser light at a second flashingrate; and (c) if the movable target screen is ON POINT, thencontinuously turning on the substantially vertical plane of visiblewavelength laser light.
 25. The method of claim 18, wherein said movabletarget screen, comprises: (a) a movable chassis; and (b) a screen havinga size and shape to intercept said visible wavelength laser light whenthe chassis is sitting on a jobsite surface, in which said screenincludes a surface that is at least partially reflective to emissionsfrom said electronic distance measuring instrument.